Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) was down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $66.25 and last traded at $66.54. Approximately 7,772,247 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 11,078,213 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered 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 report on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $63.67.

Altria Group Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $60.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.47.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Altria Group announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Country Trust Bank boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 62.9% in the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently 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.