12,395 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Acquired by SageGuard Financial Group LLC

SageGuard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 12,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $715,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Legacy Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $265,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $238,000. Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 7,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $445,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Benchmark Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davidson Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 12,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $720,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $64.60 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $70.51. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $66.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.97 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.41.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS 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%. The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.61 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.88.

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.