UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at UBS Group from $67.00 to $74.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 10.56% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $65.11.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Altria Group stock traded up $0.42 during trading on Monday, reaching $66.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,484,583 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,207,175. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $63.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.58. The company has a market capitalization of $111.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group has a 12-month low of $52.82 and a 12-month high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share 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%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Altria Group will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 8.6% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,158,000 after purchasing an additional 26,624 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after acquiring an additional 44,303 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after buying an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,364,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Altria Group by 155.4% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 31,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after acquiring an additional 18,997 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

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.