Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) traded down 0.4% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $45.81 and last traded at $45.87. 1,119,605 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 11,096,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.90.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.4 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $78.75 billion, a PE ratio of 9.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $45.32 and its 200-day moving average is $42.81.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.15. The firm had revenue of $4.72 billion for 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 revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.55%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Charles N. Whitaker sold 22,487 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.95, for a total transaction of $988,303.65. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 21.3% in the fourth quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,011,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,727,000 after acquiring an additional 4,789 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 5,418 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 57,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,304,000 after acquiring an additional 11,111 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.