7,243 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Bought by Gentry Private Wealth LLC

Gentry Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 7,243 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,945,000. Gilbert & Cook Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 12,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after acquiring an additional 413 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 953 shares during the period. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $217,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $53.69 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.06 and a 1 year high of $54.95. The company’s 50-day moving average is $50.15 and its 200 day moving average is $45.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.65.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.60%. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 85.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $37.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $48.58.

Altria Group Company 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.