Maxi Investments CY Ltd Takes $1.01 Million Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Maxi Investments CY Ltd bought a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 15,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,011,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MO. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 62.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,446,000 after acquiring an additional 6,302,819 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Altria Group by 286.7% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Altria Group by 1.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,364,216,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $89,460,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 24.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,264,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249,525 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $67.58 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.82 and a 52-week high of $70.51. The company has a market capitalization of $112.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $64.44 and a 200-day moving average of $62.59.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.11.

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.