National Wealth Management Group LLC Acquires Shares of 8,171 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

National Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 8,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $471,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the second 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. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,285,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172,753 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,543,000 after purchasing an additional 59,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 1.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 132,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Altria Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $801,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MO. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock opened at $63.77 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.82 and a 1 year high of $70.51. The company has a market cap of $106.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $65.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.52.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted 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 net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given 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 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.