111 Capital Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

111 Capital acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $795,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MO. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $137,536,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Altria Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 59,805,286 shares of the company's stock worth $3,127,218,000 after purchasing an additional 2,296,972 shares during the period. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $91,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Altria Group by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,432,535 shares of the company's stock worth $859,257,000 after purchasing an additional 1,444,021 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Altria Group by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,927,340 shares of the company's stock worth $466,811,000 after purchasing an additional 1,323,421 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO traded up $0.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $60.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,765,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,669,032. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $58.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $43.83 and a 1-year high of $61.26.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%. The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. Altria Group's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $56.00.

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.