4,815 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Acquired by Richardson Financial Services Inc.

Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $194,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 273 shares during the period. Pineridge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Altria Group by 1,800.0% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 703 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 666 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock traded down $0.44 during trading on Friday, reaching $44.32. 10,651,618 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,216,503. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.13 billion, a PE ratio of 9.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $44.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.49. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.06 and a 52-week 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 (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 222.80% and a net margin of 34.81%. The business had revenue of $4.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.18 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 8.84%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 82.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, VP Charles N. Whitaker sold 22,487 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 173,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,624,665.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.