Stillwater Wealth Management Group Acquires New Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Stillwater Wealth Management Group purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 23,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,524,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Country Trust Bank boosted its position in Altria Group by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 334.7% in 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 during the period. EMC Capital Management purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $35,000. 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 Altria Group 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased 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. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.11.

Altria Group Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $65.09 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $108.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.82 and a 12-month high of $70.51. The company’s fifty day moving average is $64.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.61.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. 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.