Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Bought by First City Capital Management Inc.

First City Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 29,436 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 889 shares during the quarter. Altria Group makes up approximately 0.8% of First City Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. First City Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,539,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 420.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 63.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Fairman Group LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 85.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of MO traded up $0.42 during trading on Friday, reaching $52.93. 2,293,870 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,858,824. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.50. The stock has a market cap of $89.71 billion, a PE ratio of 8.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.63. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.25 and a twelve month high of $58.03.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.03. Altria Group had a net margin of 42.82% and a negative return on equity of 233.80%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.12 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.71%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Altria Group from $54.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup upped their target price on Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.33.

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.