Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Sold by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 517,987 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,797 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $26,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 420.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 572 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Fairman Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 85.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 892 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock traded up $0.97 during trading on Thursday, reaching $54.31. The company had a trading volume of 6,731,778 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,273,662. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.25 and a 12-month high of $58.03. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $52.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.29, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.51%. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 62.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America upgraded shares of Altria Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.