Czech National Bank Purchases 15,950 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 442,641 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,950 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $25,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $793,000. Optivise Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after buying an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 6,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Finally, Viking Fund Management LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,647,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.9%

MO stock opened at $63.77 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $65.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.52. The stock has a market cap of $106.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 issued its quarterly earnings results 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 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 business earned $1.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price 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. UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Five investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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.