Compound Planning Inc. Acquires 11,511 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Compound Planning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 85,102 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,511 shares during the quarter. Compound Planning Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Country Trust Bank lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 334.7% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $64.33.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $68.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $115.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.41. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.82 and a 1 year high of $69.10.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company’s operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria’s principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.