Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Sells 33,985 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP decreased its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 17.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 159,349 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,985 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $10,527,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. CSM Advisors LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 13.0% during the third quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 514,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000,000 after acquiring an additional 59,300 shares in the last quarter. Ceeto Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ceeto Capital Group LLC now owns 4,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 62.0% in the 3rd quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 9,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 3,742 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 56,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 45,351 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,996,000 after purchasing an additional 13,824 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.11.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%

Altria Group stock opened at $67.96 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.82 and a 12-month high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 103.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.