Centiva Capital LP Trims Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Centiva Capital LP lessened its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 87.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,643 shares of the company’s stock after selling 162,374 shares during the quarter. Centiva Capital LP’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,562,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Country Trust Bank boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 400.0% during the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 334.7% during the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 634.5% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.11.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $67.96 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $64.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.82 and a fifty-two week high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.30 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.16%.

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.