Geneva Partners LLC Purchases New Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Geneva Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 16,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,099,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Country Trust Bank lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 400.0% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 334.7% during the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.33.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $68.98 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.52. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.82 and a 12-month high of $70.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.78, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be paid 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 (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.