CWA Asset Management Group LLC Buys New Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 228,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,660,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 63.9% in the 2nd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 667 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Altria Group by 33.4% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO traded up $0.51 on Friday, reaching $54.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,712,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,669,546. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $39.25 and a 12-month high of $55.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.13, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.64. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $51.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.81.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This is a boost from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.55%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America dropped their price target 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. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Two equities 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.33.

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.