Aua Capital Management LLC Acquires 45,960 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Aua Capital Management LLC raised its Altria stake by 99%, buying 45,960 shares to hold 92,369 shares worth $5.33 million, making MO about 2.7% of the fund and its 7th-largest position.
• SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 Altria shares at an average $67.57 (≈$1.89M), reducing his ownership by 13.37%; company insiders now own just 0.10% of the stock.
• Altria declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 (annualized $4.24) with an ex-dividend date of March 25 and a yield of 6.3%, while the payout ratio stands at 103.16%.

Aua Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 99.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 92,369 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 45,960 shares during the quarter. Altria Group accounts for about 2.7% of Aua Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Aua Capital Management LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,326,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Gould Capital LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $67.32 on Monday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $66.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.52 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.41. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.Altria Group's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group's payout ratio is 103.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.88.

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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