Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. Has $2.01 Million Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. decreased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,307 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,225 shares during the quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,006,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 154.4% in the 1st quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. BNP Paribas acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. StockNews.com downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on Altria Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.17.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $49.67 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.06 and a 12-month high of $54.95. The stock has a market cap of $84.75 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50 day moving average of $51.58 and a 200-day moving average of $47.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 42.25% and a negative return on equity of 232.55%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $1.02 dividend. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 70.34%.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.