Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Purchased by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 88,237 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,949 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,159,890 shares of the company's stock worth $107,679,000 after buying an additional 46,697 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 15.3% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 305,704 shares of the company's stock worth $15,603,000 after buying an additional 40,574 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 367,469 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,215,000 after purchasing an additional 19,893 shares during the last quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 4.2% in the second quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 251,933 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,476,000 after buying an additional 10,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 1,456,308 shares of the company's stock worth $74,330,000 after acquiring an additional 32,318 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MO traded up $0.10 during trading on Thursday, reaching $51.14. The company had a trading volume of 5,960,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,637,479. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.25 and a twelve month high of $58.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $54.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.67 billion, a PE ratio of 8.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.33 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 233.80% and a net margin of 42.82%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.12 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Altria Group's payout ratio is 68.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America raised Altria Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Thursday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $54.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $53.43.

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.