Calydon Capital Decreases Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Calydon Capital lessened its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 113,736 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,896 shares during the quarter. Altria Group makes up about 1.2% of Calydon Capital’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Calydon Capital’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,513,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,364,216,000 after buying an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,367,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,315,438,000 after acquiring an additional 886,583 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Altria Group by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,122,000 after acquiring an additional 132,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $801,412,000 after acquiring an additional 47,757 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $67.96 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $64.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.61. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.82 and a 12 month high of $70.51. The company has a market capitalization of $113.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results 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%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 is currently 103.16%.

Altria Group Company 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.