Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Down 1.8% – Time to Sell?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s share price traded down 1.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $64.29 and last traded at $64.4630. 7,054,334 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the average session volume of 10,093,245 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.62.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.88.

Altria Group Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $66.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.32 billion, a PE ratio of 15.62, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.41.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its 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 negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The company had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC now owns 24,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,631,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 74,206 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,897,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 24.9% in the first quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 82,842 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,467,000 after buying an additional 16,490 shares during the last quarter. Anchyra Partners LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter worth about $202,000. Finally, Summit Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 24.7% in the first quarter. Summit Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 1,725 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

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.