Birch Financial Group LLC Makes New $631,000 Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Birch Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 10,948 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $631,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group by 62.5% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,446,000 after buying an additional 6,302,819 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Altria Group by 286.7% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 438.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,962,270 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $89,460,000. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,264,224 shares of the company’s stock worth $413,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249,525 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of MO stock opened at $66.97 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $65.71 and its 200 day moving average is $62.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.30, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.82 and a 12 month high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target 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. Citigroup raised their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $65.11.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.