Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Edgar Lomax Co. VA

Edgar Lomax Co. VA lessened its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 45,340 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the period. Edgar Lomax Co. VA’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 4,581 shares of the company’s stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Enterprise Financial Services Corp grew its stake in Altria Group by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 5,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $681,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 6,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Financial Corp lifted its position in Altria Group by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Financial Corp now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price target on Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.00.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE MO opened at $58.13 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $98.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.39 and a 1 year high of $60.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.25.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. Equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.02%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 62.29%.

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.