Albion Financial Group UT Boosts Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Albion Financial Group UT grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 49.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,767 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 911 shares during the period. Albion Financial Group UT’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 154.4% during the 1st quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 67.6% during the fourth quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.3 %

MO stock opened at $45.93 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.06 and a twelve month high of $47.19. The firm has a market cap of $78.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.81.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15. The company had revenue of $4.72 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.18 EPS. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.53%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 82.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Charles N. Whitaker sold 22,487 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.95, for a total value of $988,303.65. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 173,485 shares in the company, valued at $7,624,665.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.