Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Bought by Sage Advisors LLC

Sage Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 73,670 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,103 shares during the period. Altria Group makes up about 2.8% of Sage Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Sage Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Country Trust Bank grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 400.0% in 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 period. EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Gould Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $64.60 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $108.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.54. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.82 and a 52 week high of $70.51.

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 firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MO. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.08% 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.