Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd Lowers Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 85.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,592 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,537 shares during the quarter. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $92,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Country Trust Bank boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 400.0% during the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter worth $33,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 79.0% in the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Finally, Gould Capital LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the third quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.3%

MO stock opened at $64.60 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $65.51 and a 200 day moving average of $62.54. The firm has a market cap of $108.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.82 and a twelve month high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its 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 negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The company had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup lifted 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. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.11.

Altria Group Profile

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.