MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Boosts Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 514,825 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 28,128 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $26,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MJP Associates Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Altria Group by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 4,777 shares of the company's stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 663,931 shares of the company's stock worth $34,716,000 after purchasing an additional 62,175 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 76,099 shares of the company's stock worth $3,982,000 after purchasing an additional 3,883 shares during the period. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 5,018 shares of the company's stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043 shares during the period. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $1,742,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $56.50 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $95.17 billion, a PE ratio of 8.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.83 and a 52-week high of $61.26. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $58.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.35.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.15 EPS. The business's revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.22%. Altria Group's payout ratio is 68.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group upped their price objective on Altria Group from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on Altria Group from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $56.00.

About Altria Group

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.

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