Amica Mutual Insurance Co. Sells 18,088 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Amica Mutual Insurance Co. trimmed its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 45.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,811 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,088 shares during the period. Amica Mutual Insurance Co.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MO. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 86.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 7.5% in the second quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 63,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,710,000 after purchasing an additional 4,429 shares in the last quarter. Aspiriant LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth $207,000. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 22.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 7,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 1,314 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.67.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:MO opened at $67.23 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.46 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $60.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.20. The company has a market capitalization of $112.85 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

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.