Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Sunbelt Securities Inc.

Sunbelt Securities Inc. lowered its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 9.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 77,148 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,678 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $954,446,000 after purchasing an additional 6,302,819 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after buying an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,364,216,000 after buying an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth approximately $89,460,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 24.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,264,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,815,000 after buying an additional 1,249,525 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.9%

MO stock opened at $66.96 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.82 and a 12-month high of $70.51. The firm has a market cap of $111.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s 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 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target 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. 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, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

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.