Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd Sells 9,537 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd reduced its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 85.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,592 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,537 shares during the period. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $92,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 22,587 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 3,657 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $471,000. Finally, Central Valley Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Central Valley Advisors LLC now owns 33,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,928,000 after buying an additional 1,929 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO stock opened at $64.60 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.82 and a fifty-two week high of $70.51. The business’s 50-day moving average is $65.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.54. The company has a market cap of $108.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MO. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.11.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company’s operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria’s principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.