Generali Investments Management Co LLC Has $776,000 Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Generali Investments Management Co LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 298.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,745 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,797 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Whalerock Point Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 9,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 2.8% in the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 232,774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,377,000 after acquiring an additional 6,334 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 5.3% during the third quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 78,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,218,000 after acquiring an additional 3,996 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 136,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,182,000 after acquiring an additional 773 shares during the period. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.8% during the third quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 9,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup upped their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target 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 lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.33.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $69.42 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.55. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.82 and a fifty-two week high of $70.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 103.16%.

Altria Group Company 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.