Teacher Retirement System of Texas Purchases 148,228 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat GemTeacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO – Free Report) by 14.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,169,116 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 148,228 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Altria Group were worth $67,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 286.7% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 438.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after purchasing an additional 2,962,270 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $89,460,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,264,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249,525 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity at Altria Group
In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
Altria Group Trading Up 0.8%
Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $65.14 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $108.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $66.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.57. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $70.51.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Altria Group Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 103.16%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.88.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MO
Altria Group Company Profile
Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company’s operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.
Altria’s principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.
Further Reading
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