Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Procyon Advisors LLC

Procyon Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 163.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,436 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,169 shares during the quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 195,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,297,000 after buying an additional 8,165 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 25.1% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 8,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 1,719 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 356,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,536,000 after acquiring an additional 20,732 shares during the last quarter. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $133,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 12,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $64.46 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.82 and a 12 month high of $70.51. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%.During the same period last year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the subject of several research reports. 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 research report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by 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.