Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Up 0.2%

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) rose 0.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $41.46 and last traded at $41.15. Approximately 1,484,273 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 11,577,892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.05.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.90.

Altria Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $69.98 billion, a PE ratio of 8.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.43.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 244.55% and a net margin of 33.21%. The firm had revenue of $5.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.62%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 22nd. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.78%.

Altria Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, February 1st that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 13.0% during the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 12,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $573,000 after buying an additional 1,479 shares during the period. Weaver Consulting Group acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $204,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 42,989 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 29.4% in the 1st quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 27,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 6,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $266,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.