Barclays PLC Buys 1,249,525 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 24.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,264,224 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,249,525 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $413,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,446,000 after purchasing an additional 6,302,819 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,364,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1,094.0% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,158,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,919,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061,413 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,367,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,315,438,000 after acquiring an additional 886,583 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after acquiring an additional 814,665 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $67.06 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.82 and a 12 month high of $70.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. Analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.33.

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.