Fulton Bank N.A. Has $1.56 Million Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Fulton Bank N.A. grew its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 98.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,968 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,384 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,158,000 after purchasing an additional 26,624 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after buying an additional 44,303 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after buying an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its stake in Altria Group by 155.4% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 31,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after acquiring an additional 18,997 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in Altria Group by 13.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,561,000 after acquiring an additional 17,429 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

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

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $64.38 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.82 and a 52-week high of $70.51. The stock has a market cap of $107.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $65.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.53.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on 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 upped their price objective on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.11.

Altria Group Profile

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.