Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,622 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 741 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 16,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $856,000 after acquiring an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 9,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $291,000. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $376,000. Finally, William Allan Corp boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 4,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $52.65 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $89.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.25 and a 1-year high of $58.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $53.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $52.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. On average, analysts anticipate 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 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.75%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MO shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America raised Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.29.

Altria Group 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.