Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC

Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 30,569 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,015 shares during the period. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 76,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,982,000 after purchasing an additional 3,883 shares during the period. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC grew its position in Altria Group by 26.2% during the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 5,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $1,742,000. Graver Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $261,000. Finally, Greenline Partners LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Greenline Partners LLC now owns 4,635 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MO. UBS Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $56.00.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $56.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.15 billion, a PE ratio of 8.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.83 and a 12 month high of $61.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.35.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. The business’s revenue was down 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.15 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.34%.

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.