Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Bought by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 18.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 343,123 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 53,704 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $22,550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. ESL Trust Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 14.9% in the third quarter. ESL Trust Services LLC now owns 2,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $152,000 after buying an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. A4 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $355,000. Atlatl Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $217,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $133,000. Finally, FDx Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth $249,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Five 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 MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.56.

Altria Group Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $64.20 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $59.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.86. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.01 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.62, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

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

Altria Group 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.