Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by AE Wealth Management LLC

AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 660,879 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,311 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $43,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Country Trust Bank raised its holdings in Altria Group by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 334.7% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.00.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $63.12 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.73. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.08 and a 1 year high of $68.60. The company has a market capitalization of $105.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 80.92%.

Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Altria Group Company 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.