Convergence Investment Partners LLC Sells 13,322 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Convergence Investment Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,453 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,322 shares during the period. Convergence Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,005,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Gould Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:MO opened at $73.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $67.02 and its 200 day moving average is $63.05. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Altria Group

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.