Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC Sells 19,272 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC decreased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 269,826 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,272 shares during the quarter. Altria Group accounts for 0.2% of Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $14,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MO. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 420.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on MO shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America raised shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.29.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $58.17 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.35 billion, a PE ratio of 8.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.65 and a 12 month high of $59.67.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.01%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.29%.

Altria Group Profile

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.