Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Up 2.7% - Should You Buy?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) traded up 2.7% on Monday . The company traded as high as $59.78 and last traded at $59.75. 4,300,727 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average session volume of 8,830,998 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.15.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America raised Altria Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $54.00.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.8 %

The business's 50 day moving average is $55.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.69. The company has a market cap of $99.68 billion, a PE ratio of 9.00, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56.

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Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.92%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MO. Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 4,581 shares of the company's stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Enterprise Financial Services Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 5,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Horst & Graben Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,015 shares of the company's stock worth $681,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 6,302 shares of the company's stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. First Citizens Financial Corp now owns 4,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.