Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 1,399 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lowered its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,275 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,399 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,804,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 49.1% in the first quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 2,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 911 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 40,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,617,000 after purchasing an additional 5,418 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,027,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,960,000 after purchasing an additional 16,541 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 57,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,304,000 after purchasing an additional 11,111 shares during the period. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the first quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 5,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Charles N. Whitaker sold 22,487 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.95, for a total value of $988,303.65. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 173,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,624,665.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE:MO opened at $50.35 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $46.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.70. The stock has a market cap of $86.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.66. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.06 and a 12 month high of $50.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.15. The business had revenue of $4.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.81% and a negative return on equity of 222.80%. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th were given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.79%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.10.

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.