Sanctuary Advisors LLC Acquires 51,879 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Altria by 10.3% in Q4, adding 51,879 shares to hold 556,996 shares valued at about $32.12 million.
• Altria declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 (annualized $4.24), payable April 30 to holders of record March 25, implying a 6.3% yield and a payout ratio of 103.16%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of Hold with a consensus target of $65.88; the stock opened at $66.86 and the company has a market cap of about $111.7 billion.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 556,996 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 51,879 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $32,116,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MO. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $65.88.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of MO stock opened at $66.86 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $70.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $66.58 and a 200-day moving average of $62.58.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Altria Group's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Altria Group

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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