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

First Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 13,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $793,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Country Trust Bank boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 400.0% during the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 79.0% in the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Finally, Gould Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter worth $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.9%

MO stock opened at $63.77 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $65.45 and a 200 day moving average of $62.52. The firm 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 twelve month low of $52.82 and a twelve month high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS 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 in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company 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 is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five 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, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Altria Group Company 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.