Brighton Jones LLC Has $836,000 Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 73.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,712 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,737 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 171,453 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,916,000 after acquiring an additional 1,952 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4,665.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,972,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $160,241,000 after acquiring an additional 3,888,907 shares in the last quarter. Steele Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $228,000. Finally, Fernwood Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Fernwood Investment Management LLC now owns 68,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,773,000 after purchasing an additional 3,181 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.0 %

Altria Group stock opened at $43.82 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $42.39 and its 200 day moving average is $41.49. The company has a market capitalization of $75.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.17, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.66. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $39.06 and a twelve month high of $47.71.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.81% and a negative return on equity of 222.80%. The firm had revenue of $4.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th were issued a $0.98 dividend. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 22nd. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.01%.

Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, February 1st that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 14th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $36.10 to $36.50 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.90.

Altria Group Company 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.