Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stock: Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Boosts Holdings

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 760,416 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,616 shares during the quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $51,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Cornerstone National Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Evolution Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 110.9% in the second quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $78.67 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $79.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.52.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 330.66% and a net margin of 34.51%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Freedom Broker raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. The trade was a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc. is a U.S.-based tobacco and nicotine company whose businesses focus primarily on the domestic market. Its products include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, oral nicotine products and e-vapor products. Altria’s portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, made by Philip Morris USA; Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco products, made by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and products from John Middleton and Helix Innovations. The company also owns NJOY, an e-vapor brand. The company was established as Philip Morris Companies Inc. and adopted the Altria name in 2003.