Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 1.5% – Here’s What Happened

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) shares fell 1.5% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $64.00 and last traded at $64.43. 7,855,732 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 30% from the average session volume of 11,238,112 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.40.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $63.67.

Altria Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $108.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a 50-day moving average of $59.69 and a 200 day moving average of $61.99.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

Altria Group declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 207.8% in the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 29,260 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,716,000 after acquiring an additional 19,755 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc grew its position in Altria Group by 15.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 11,454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.