Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Up 1.3% – Should You Buy?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $65.08 and last traded at $64.60. Approximately 8,191,495 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 10,374,146 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.11.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $108.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $65.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.52.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.Altria Group’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 86.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth about $1,915,000. Finally, Insigneo Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 9.8% during the second quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.