Howard Financial Services LTD. Has $344,000 Stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Howard Financial Services LTD. increased its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,588 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 356 shares during the quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $344,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 420.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 572 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Fairman Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 85.1% in the third quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 892 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 330.4% during the 4th quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $51.92 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.25 and a 52-week high of $58.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $54.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.91. The stock has a market cap of $87.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.03. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 233.80% and a net margin of 42.82%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 68.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.00 price target for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.43.

Altria Group Company 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.