Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stake Reduced by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 292,598 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,212 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $16,871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 86.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $67.76 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $70.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $66.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.57. The stock has a market cap of $113.25 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.41.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.88.

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.