Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC Sells 19,756 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC cut its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 27.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 52,794 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,756 shares during the quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,044,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in Altria Group by 1.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,367,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,315,438,000 after acquiring an additional 886,583 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,543,000 after acquiring an additional 59,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,122,000 after purchasing an additional 132,846 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $801,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MO shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup increased their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.1%

MO opened at $64.38 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $65.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.53. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.82 and a 1-year high of $70.51. The company has a market cap of $107.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.66, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (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%. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s 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. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.