Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 41.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,364 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,694 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $856,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,655,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 17,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $907,000 after acquiring an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. CFC Planning Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,052,000. First Merchants Corp increased its stake in Altria Group by 56.1% in the 4th quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 27,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,463,000 after buying an additional 10,058 shares during the period. Finally, Palacios Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $291,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MO opened at $53.37 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $52.75 and its 200-day moving average is $52.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.25 and a 12 month high of $58.03. The firm has a market cap of $90.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. As a group, research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.65%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.29.

About Altria Group

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.