PFG Investments LLC Increases Stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

PFG Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,344 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 21.3% during the fourth quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,719 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,304,000 after acquiring an additional 2,122 shares during the last quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth $3,128,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 293.6% during the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 55,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,336,000 after purchasing an additional 41,432 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.3 %

NYSE:MO opened at $43.66 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.06 and a 52 week high of $48.04. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $41.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.99 billion, a PE ratio of 9.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.65.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.17 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 244.55% and a net margin of 33.21%. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, February 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 25th will be given a $0.98 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 22nd. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.98%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MO. StockNews.com upgraded Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $36.10 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.82.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.