Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Raises Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 886,890 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 50,513 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $51,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $5,752,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.88.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $64.60 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $107.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.56. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). The company 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Altria Group 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.