Lifeworks Advisors LLC Increases Position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Lifeworks Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 17.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,783 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares during the period. Lifeworks Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MO. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 22,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,155,000 after acquiring an additional 2,437 shares during the period. Blankinship & Foster LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $243,000. RKL Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 1,179.8% during the fourth quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 51,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,690,000 after purchasing an additional 47,418 shares during the last quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 210.1% during the fourth quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 35,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,877,000 after purchasing an additional 68,520 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 55,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,900,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $57.79 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.65 and a fifty-two week high of $58.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $53.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.82, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.06%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. Bank of America upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.29.

Altria Group 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.