Vinva Investment Management Ltd Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Vinva Investment Management bought a new stake of 34,786 Altria shares (about $2.28M) in Q3, and other institutions have also increased positions such that roughly 57.4% of the stock is held by hedge funds and institutional investors.
• Altria declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 (ex-dividend Mar 25, payable Apr 30), equal to a $4.24 annualized payout and a ~6.3% yield with a payout ratio of 103.16%.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.30, missing estimates by $0.02 with revenue down 0.5% YoY; analysts' consensus rating is Hold with a target price of $65.11 while the stock trades around the mid‑$60s.

Vinva Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 34,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,284,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 62.5% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $954,446,000 after acquiring an additional 6,302,819 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company's stock worth $9,364,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,923 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 24.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,264,224 shares of the company's stock worth $413,815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249,525 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Altria Group by 1,094.0% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,158,437 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,919,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061,413 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Altria Group by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,367,263 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,315,438,000 after purchasing an additional 886,583 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $66.93 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $63.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.57. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.82 and a 1-year high of $70.51. The company has a market cap of $111.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on MO. 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. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $65.11.

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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