Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. trimmed its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 45.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 81,708 shares of the company’s stock after selling 67,106 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 52.4% in the 4th quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 7,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 2,522 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 177,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,257,000 after acquiring an additional 6,031 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 19,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,013,000 after acquiring an additional 2,225 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 37.7% in the 4th quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 5,935 shares of the company’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 1,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 93.9% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 708,088 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,026,000 after acquiring an additional 342,953 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $52.02 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $53.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.14. The company has a market capitalization of $88.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.25 and a 12 month high of $58.03.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.03. Altria Group had a net margin of 42.82% and a negative return on equity of 233.80%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.28 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 68.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.43.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.