Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. Purchases 2,554 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 23.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,453 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,554 shares during the quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $786,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Wealth Services LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Keystone Wealth Services LLC now owns 12,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $635,000 after acquiring an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 16,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $2,528,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $57.33 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.84 and a 200-day moving average of $52.96. The company has a market cap of $96.93 billion, a PE ratio of 8.75, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $39.25 and a one year high of $58.03.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 62.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.29.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.