13,747 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Bought by First Bank & Trust

First Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 13,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $793,000.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $63.77 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $65.45 and its 200 day moving average is $62.52. The company has a market cap of $106.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.82 and a 1 year high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. Analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.