Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Osaic Holdings Inc.

Osaic Holdings Inc. lowered its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 14.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,333,490 shares of the company’s stock after selling 230,517 shares during the quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $58,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 2,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the period. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,000 after buying an additional 247 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management increased its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 15,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $678,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Carson Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 6,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 9,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, March 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. UBS Group increased their price target 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. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.10.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $49.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,164,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,781,572. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.06 and a 1-year high of $49.92. The company has a market cap of $84.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.33, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $46.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.42.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced 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. The business 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th were given a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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 shares were 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 owns 173,485 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,624,665.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.