Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Shares Bought by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 85,803 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,214 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $57.19 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.10. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.65 and a 1 year high of $60.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.69 billion, a PE ratio of 8.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.13%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 62.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.00.

Altria Group Profile

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.