Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc.

Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. cut its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 16.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,016 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,600 shares during the period. Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $350,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in 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 buying an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 677 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock traded up $0.09 on Friday, hitting $45.55. 12,238,540 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,876,758. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $45.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.24 billion, a PE ratio of 9.53, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.06 and a twelve month high of $47.19.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.61%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, VP Charles N. Whitaker sold 22,487 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $7,624,665.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, March 25th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.