Cerity Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 14.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 422,112 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 53,832 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $21,553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 63.9% during the 2nd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 667 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Fairman Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 85.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 892 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $56.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 13,565,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,727,461. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $39.25 and a one year high of $57.20. The stock has a market cap of $96.17 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day moving average of $51.87 and a 200-day moving average of $49.73.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.33 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 42.82% and a negative return on equity of 233.80%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.