Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Forte Capital LLC ADV

Forte Capital LLC ADV decreased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 18,289 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,305 shares during the quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 103.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the period. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1,800.0% in the third quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:MO traded down $0.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $43.59. The stock had a trading volume of 11,228,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,736,930. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.66. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.06 and a 52 week high of $46.86.

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

Altria Group declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, February 1st that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 25th were given a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 22nd. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted 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. StockNews.com downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 target price 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 issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.90.

Altria Group 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.