Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Purchased by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 337,133 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 52,130 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $17,515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $127,000. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 45,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,374,000 after buying an additional 2,327 shares in the last quarter. Busey Bank lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Busey Bank now owns 184,268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,635,000 after acquiring an additional 4,448 shares during the last quarter. Enzi Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Enzi Wealth now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $482,000 after acquiring an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cortland Associates Inc. MO grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Cortland Associates Inc. MO now owns 18,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $944,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MO shares. Citigroup upped their target price on Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.43.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO stock opened at $51.59 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.29. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.25 and a 52 week high of $58.03. The stock has a market cap of $87.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 42.82% and a negative return on equity of 233.80%. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.13 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.91%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.92%.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.