Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Stock Position Decreased by Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC

Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,602 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,652 shares during the period. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 5,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Taylor & Morgan Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Taylor & Morgan Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $483,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Day & Ennis LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Day & Ennis LLC now owns 5,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Whitener Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Salvus Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $578,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, March 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.90.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO traded up $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $42.92. The company had a trading volume of 12,425,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,959,617. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.06 and a 52 week high of $48.04. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $42.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.45. The stock has a market cap of $73.72 billion, a PE ratio of 9.39, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.65.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.21% and a negative return on equity of 244.55%. The firm had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.98 per share. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 22nd. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 85.78%.

Altria Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, February 1st that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.