Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Donoghue Forlines LLC

Donoghue Forlines LLC cut its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 54.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,318 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,937 shares during the quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was 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 owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of MO stock opened at $72.29 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $120.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.97.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Altria Group Company 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.