Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Down 1.1% – Should You Sell?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s stock price was down 1.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $67.64 and last traded at $68.10. Approximately 10,584,404 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 3% from the average daily volume of 10,263,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.33.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $113.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.57.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share 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%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 86.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in Altria Group by 6.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.3% in the second quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 18,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,080,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 151.9% in the second quarter. Burney Co. now owns 19,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,167,000 after acquiring an additional 12,006 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.