9,500 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Purchased by Guardian Partners Inc.

Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 9,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $489,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter worth approximately $2,183,000. Nwam LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 13,355 shares of the company's stock worth $682,000 after purchasing an additional 1,925 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 151,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,747,000 after purchasing an additional 4,179 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 14.6% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 422,112 shares of the company's stock worth $21,553,000 after buying an additional 53,832 shares during the period. Finally, StoneX Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.1% during the third quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 15,879 shares of the company's stock worth $827,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO traded down $0.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $56.73. The company had a trading volume of 10,377,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,497,390. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $54.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.65 and a 12-month high of $59.67. The stock has a market cap of $95.91 billion, a PE ratio of 8.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56.

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Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. Altria Group's payout ratio is 62.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised Altria Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.29.

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.