Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC Has $826,000 Position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,131 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 373 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 154.4% during the first quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BNP Paribas acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE:MO traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $51.83. 6,981,285 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,479,975. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.92. The company has a market capitalization of $89.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.66. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.06 and a twelve month high of $51.94.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 28th. Barclays upped their price objective on Altria Group from $37.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.08.

About Altria Group

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.