Krilogy Financial LLC Raises Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Krilogy Financial LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 72,500 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,337 shares during the quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Magnolia Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $222,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 64.1% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 103,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,859,000 after acquiring an additional 40,557 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.2% in the third quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 10,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $694,000 after acquiring an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.7% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 43,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,899,000 after acquiring an additional 4,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Midwest Trust Co boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 4.2% in the third quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 20,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.67.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of MO opened at $64.38 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $108.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.47. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.40 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.05.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

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

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.