Altria Group, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $1.06 (NYSE:MO)

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of 1.06 per share on Thursday, April 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th.

Altria Group has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 56 years. Altria Group has a payout ratio of 76.5% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings decline. Research analysts expect Altria Group to earn $5.54 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 76.5%.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.7%

MO stock traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $69.93. 3,643,788 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,150,362. Altria Group has a 52 week low of $52.82 and a 52 week high of $70.51. The business has a 50-day moving average of $62.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $696,000. SG Trading Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $464,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 22,480 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after buying an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co acquired a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $357,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at $3,294,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

About Altria Group

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.