Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Up 1.3%

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) was up 1.3% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $46.37 and last traded at $46.32. Approximately 2,230,414 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 11,237,140 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.74.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. StockNews.com cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Monday, March 25th. UBS Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.90.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.1 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $44.93 and a 200-day moving average of $42.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.15. The company had revenue of $4.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.71 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 222.80% and a net margin of 34.81%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 82.01%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, VP Charles N. Whitaker sold 22,487 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.95, for a total transaction of $988,303.65. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 173,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,624,665.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 154.4% in the 1st quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, ZRC Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently 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.