Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading 0.3% Higher

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s share price rose 0.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $44.14 and last traded at $43.96. 3,096,601 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 11,867,809 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.82.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Monday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.90.

Altria Group Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.27 billion, a PE ratio of 9.17, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.66.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.15. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.81% and a negative return on equity of 222.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 22nd. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.01%.

Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 1st that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Altria Group by 7.9% during the first quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 39,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,741,000 after purchasing an additional 2,909 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. boosted its position in Altria Group by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 24,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,071,000 after buying an additional 2,058 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 31,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,378,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 50,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,189,000 after buying an additional 573 shares during the period. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.5% during the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 76,392 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,332,000 after buying an additional 1,877 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.