Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Edgar Lomax Co. VA

Edgar Lomax Co. VA trimmed its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 19.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,640 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,700 shares during the quarter. Edgar Lomax Co. VA’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,420,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Simmons Bank lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 43,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 16.3% in the second quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 53,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,143,000 after acquiring an additional 7,521 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.6%

MO opened at $67.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $112.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.82 and a fifty-two week high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.During the same period last year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MO shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.33.

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.