Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $228.84 Million Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,464,169 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 91,254 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Altria Group worth $228,843,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MO. CI Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 29.5% in the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 12,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $815,000 after buying an additional 2,808 shares during the period. Mathes Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $211,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 60,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,867,000 after acquiring an additional 15,176 shares during the period. Becker Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 111 Capital increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 80.3% in the third quarter. 111 Capital now owns 18,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 8,432 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MO. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $64.33.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.3%

MO opened at $68.89 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $115.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.76, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50 day moving average is $62.73 and its 200-day moving average is $62.57. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.82 and a 1-year high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Altria Group Profile

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.