Machina Capital S.A.S. Grows Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Machina Capital S.A.S. grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1,830.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 68,706 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,147 shares during the quarter. Altria Group accounts for 0.8% of Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Country Trust Bank increased its stake in Altria Group by 400.0% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 334.7% during the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 634.5% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.56.

Altria Group Stock Up 3.2%

Altria Group stock opened at $64.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.30 and a 200-day moving average of $61.86. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.01 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The firm 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 announced 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 negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The business had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

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