Inceptionr LLC Lowers Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Inceptionr LLC cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 46.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,555 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,742 shares during the quarter. Inceptionr LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $962,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MO. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,364,216,000 after buying an additional 1,599,923 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Altria Group by 1.2% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 44,724,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,620,229,000 after acquiring an additional 764,221 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Altria Group by 62.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $954,446,000 after acquiring an additional 6,302,819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted 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 worth $842,122,000 after acquiring an additional 132,846 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of MO opened at $66.93 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $63.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.57. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.82 and a twelve month high of $70.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.91 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (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 quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on MO. Citigroup lifted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Five 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, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.