Calton & Associates Inc. Boosts Position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Calton & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,105 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 439 shares during the quarter. Calton & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in Altria Group during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 63.9% during the second quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 667 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Altria Group during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $50.06 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $51.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.94. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.06 and a 1-year high of $54.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.65.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.04). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 232.55% and a net margin of 42.25%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Altria Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.20.

Altria Group 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.