Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC Grows Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 95,839 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,520 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MO. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,446,000 after purchasing an additional 6,302,819 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after buying an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 438.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,749,000 after buying an additional 2,962,270 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Altria Group in the third quarter worth approximately $89,460,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 24.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,264,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,815,000 after buying an additional 1,249,525 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $64.60 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $65.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.54. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $52.82 and a one year high of $70.51. The stock has a market cap of $108.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.45.

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 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays raised their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.11.

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.