WESPAC Advisors LLC Has $202,000 Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

WESPAC Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 76.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,508 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,404 shares during the period. WESPAC Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $202,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Gould Capital LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $66.97 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.82 and a twelve month high of $70.51. The firm has a market cap of $111.97 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day moving average of $65.71 and a 200-day moving average of $62.49.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About Altria Group

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.