Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 181,205 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,476 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $10,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,158,000 after purchasing an additional 26,624 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,677,000 after purchasing an additional 44,303 shares in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 valued at $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 155.4% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $64.21 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $70.51. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.32 billion, a PE ratio of 15.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.41.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’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 value 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 trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.88.

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.