Lido Advisors LLC Increases Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 683,497 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,587 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $45,867,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Country Trust Bank lifted its position in Altria Group by 400.0% during the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 334.7% during the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter worth $35,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:MO opened at $67.96 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.82 and a 52 week high of $70.51. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $64.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.58. The company has a market capitalization of $113.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.45.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group boosted 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. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Company 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.