Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 64.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,835 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 40,557 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $6,859,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Kercheville Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 4,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.9% in the third quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 5,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 4.5% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR grew its position in Altria Group by 0.3% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 50,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,356,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Parcion Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the second quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.67.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO opened at $66.98 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.40 and a 1-year high of $68.60. The stock has a market cap of $112.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.12.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.16%.

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.