Stillwater Wealth Management Group Takes Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Stillwater Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 23,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,524,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Kercheville Advisors LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 3.7% during the third quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 4,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR boosted its position in Altria Group by 0.3% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 50,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,356,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 7,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 35,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,350,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group boosted their target price 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 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. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.11.

Altria Group Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $65.09 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.82 and a 52 week high of $70.51. The company has a market cap of $108.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $64.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.61.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share 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 quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. Analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’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 sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.