55,809 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Bought by Capital Wealth Planning LLC

Capital Wealth Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 55,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,687,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kercheville Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 4,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR grew its stake in Altria Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 50,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,356,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 7,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $488,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 19,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,309,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on MO. UBS Group upped their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on 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, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.11.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:MO opened at $67.96 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.82 and a 12-month high of $70.51. The firm has a market cap of $113.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $64.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS 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 firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

About Altria Group

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.