Arkadios Wealth Advisors Acquires 23,725 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its Altria stake by 15.3% in the first quarter, acquiring 23,725 shares and bringing its holdings to 178,722 shares valued at approximately $11.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of Altria.
• Altria reported quarterly earnings of $1.32 per share, beating the $1.25 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $4.76 billion.
• The company’s quarterly dividend is $1.06 per share, equivalent to a 5.7% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $70.78, below the reported share price of $75.03.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 15.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 178,722 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,725 shares during the quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Altria Group were worth $11,794,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 86.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $75.03 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $71.95 and its 200 day moving average is $68.23. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $77.06. The firm has a market cap of $125.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.70, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc NYSE: MO is a U.S.-based consumer goods company whose principal business is the manufacture and sale of tobacco products. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company's operations are focused primarily on the U.S. market and include the production, marketing and distribution of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and cigars. Its flagship cigarette franchise in the United States is sold through its operating subsidiaries and is among the most recognizable cigarette brands in the country.

Altria's principal operating businesses include Philip Morris USA (cigarettes), U.S.

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