Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Holdings Lifted by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,105 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,275 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Altria Group from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $55.00.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Altria Group stock traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $58.55. 5,994,993 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,763,933. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.66. The company has a market cap of $98.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.95, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.37 and a twelve month high of $60.18.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. The business had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.97%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.29%.

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.