Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 0.9% - Time to Sell?

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) traded down 0.9% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $58.74 and last traded at $58.89. 1,381,401 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 9,379,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $56.00.

Altria Group Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $58.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.74 billion, a PE ratio of 9.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.89%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MO. Diversify Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $218,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Altria Group by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 15,686 shares of the company's stock worth $820,000 after purchasing an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 5,836 shares of the company's stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 21,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,120,000 after acquiring an additional 5,317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 206,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,818,000 after acquiring an additional 5,707 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, 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.

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