Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Stock Holdings Lessened by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,995,206 shares of the company’s stock after selling 912,520 shares during the period. Altria Group accounts for approximately 1.1% of Pacer Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned 0.59% of Altria Group worth $510,155,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Altria Group by 33.4% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 45.5% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 65,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,854,000 after buying an additional 20,438 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 61.9% during the 1st quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 9,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $433,000 after buying an additional 3,707 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, LGT Group Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter worth about $51,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $55.98 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $39.25 and a 52 week high of $56.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.87 billion, a PE ratio of 9.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $51.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) 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 analysts’ expectations of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.33.

Altria Group Company 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.