Picton Mahoney Asset Management Has $945,000 Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Picton Mahoney Asset Management lowered its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 36.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,306 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,060 shares during the quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $945,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MO. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,464,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,843,000 after buying an additional 91,254 shares during the period. CI Investments Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 29.5% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 12,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $815,000 after acquiring an additional 2,808 shares during the period. Mathes Company Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at $211,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 33.2% during the third quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 60,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,867,000 after acquiring an additional 15,176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Becker Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Altria Group by 7.0% during the third quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $66.48 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.82 and a 52 week high of $70.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $63.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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 report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of 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 research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.33.

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.