Cheviot Value Management LLC Sells 208 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Cheviot Value Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,087 shares of the company’s stock after selling 208 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $527,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MO. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $58.72 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.28 billion, a PE ratio of 8.96, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $57.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.76 and a twelve month high of $60.18.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.95%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

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.