B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Takes Position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 27,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,394,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 63.9% during the second quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 667 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $56.74 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.16 billion, a PE ratio of 9.58, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $39.25 and a 1-year high of $56.84. The business’s 50 day moving average is $51.87 and its 200-day moving average is $49.65.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.03. Altria Group had a net margin of 42.82% and a negative return on equity of 233.80%. The firm had revenue of $6.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $51.33.

About Altria Group

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.