Altria Group Crosses Above 9% Yield Territory

In trading on Friday, shares of Altria Group were yielding above the 9% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $3.92), with the stock changing hands as low as $42.90 on the day. Dividends are particularly important for investors to consider, because historically speaking dividends have provided a considerable share of the stock market's total return. To illustrate, suppose for example you purchased shares of the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) back on 12/31/1999 — you would have paid $146.88 per share. Fast ...