Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Has $45.11 Million Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. decreased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 782,384 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,841 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $45,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,285,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172,753 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,543,000 after purchasing an additional 59,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $842,122,000 after purchasing an additional 132,846 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $801,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.9%

Altria Group stock opened at $66.80 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $70.51. The company has a market cap of $111.64 billion, a PE ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50-day moving average is $66.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price 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. 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 report on Monday, March 9th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. 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 report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.88.

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.