Generali Investments Management Co LLC Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 774 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in Altria Group by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 451,816 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,060,000 after purchasing an additional 19,673 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at $204,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 9.8% during the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 79,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,040,000 after acquiring an additional 7,088 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 79.9% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 6,219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $1,394,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $57.97 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.65 and a 12 month high of $59.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.42.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.04%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America upgraded Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus 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.