Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 1.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) traded down 1.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $65.66 and last traded at $66.3410. 9,204,596 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 9% from the average session volume of 10,166,935 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.14.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.2%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rubicon Advisors GP purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $273,000. EMC Capital Management boosted its stake in Altria Group by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Union Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $210,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 4,635,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,340,000 after purchasing an additional 424,611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

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.