Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 0.1%

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 0.1% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $41.22 and last traded at $41.37. 1,581,316 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 11,593,374 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MO. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $46.90.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.9 %

The business's fifty day moving average price is $41.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.51 billion, a PE ratio of 8.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.65.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.21% and a negative return on equity of 244.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.18 earnings per share. Altria Group's revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 22nd. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.55%. Altria Group's payout ratio is 85.78%.

Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, February 1st that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,719 shares of the company's stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.3% during the third quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,007 shares of the company's stock worth $1,304,000 after purchasing an additional 2,122 shares in the last quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth $3,128,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 293.6% during the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 55,546 shares of the company's stock worth $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 41,432 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is 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.