Plimoth Trust Co. LLC Has $705,000 Position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Plimoth Trust Co. LLC cut its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 16,170 shares of the company’s stock after selling 650 shares during the quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 154.4% during the first quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares during the period. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.0 %

MO opened at $46.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $79.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.63, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50 day moving average is $45.26 and its 200-day moving average is $42.78. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.06 and a 1-year high of $47.19.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15. The firm had revenue of $4.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.71 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.81% and a negative return on equity of 222.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.51%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 82.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, VP Charles N. Whitaker sold 22,487 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.95, for a total transaction of $988,303.65. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 173,485 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,624,665.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. StockNews.com upgraded Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, March 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.90.

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.