Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Up 1.1% – Still a Buy?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s share price shot up 1.1% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $66.55 and last traded at $66.5130. 5,221,317 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 10,280,310 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.76.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on MO. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.75.

Altria Group Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $111.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.41. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.53.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company’s operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria’s principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.