Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,381 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MO. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 420.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 572 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $57.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $96.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.75, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.25 and a 1 year high of $58.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $52.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.96.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.12%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.29.

About Altria Group

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.