Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 1.1% – What’s Next?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s stock price was down 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $67.64 and last traded at $68.10. Approximately 10,584,404 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 3% from the average daily volume of 10,263,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. 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. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.33.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $111.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $63.07 and a 200-day moving average of $62.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share 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%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 6.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Simmons Bank grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.4% in the second quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 43,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 16.3% during the 2nd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 53,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,143,000 after purchasing an additional 7,521 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Company 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.