Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Acquired by Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 48.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 89,761 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,421 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MO. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 42.4% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $958,000 after buying an additional 5,593 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 37.5% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 530,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,091,000 after purchasing an additional 144,737 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 69,674 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,581,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 82,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,208,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 35.9% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 13,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 3,478 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.33.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Altria Group stock opened at $55.01 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.25 and a 52-week high of $58.03. The firm has a market cap of $93.22 billion, a PE ratio of 9.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s 50 day moving average is $53.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.74.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.03. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 233.80% and a net margin of 42.82%. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.28 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.92%.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.