Raleigh Capital Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 261.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 17,382 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,573 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,002,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Register Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 34.2% in the fourth quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares during the period. TPG Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth $253,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 9,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after acquiring an additional 1,609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $768,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.75.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $66.51 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.82 and a fifty-two week high of $70.51. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.52. The firm has a market cap of $111.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.41.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.