Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by Ameriflex Group Inc.

Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 213.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 14,644 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,975 shares during the quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $967,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 8.6% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,158,000 after buying an additional 26,624 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after acquiring an additional 44,303 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after acquiring an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,364,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 155.4% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 31,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after purchasing an additional 18,997 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $66.48 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.82 and a 12 month high of $70.51. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $63.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.64. The company has a market cap of $111.15 billion, a PE ratio of 16.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted 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 negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.33.

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.