Savant Capital LLC Sells 49,317 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Savant Capital LLC cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 42.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 66,451 shares of the company’s stock after selling 49,317 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,832,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 53,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,079,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 394,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,741,000 after acquiring an additional 65,974 shares during the period. IFG Advisory LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 18,768 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,082,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 87,529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,047,000 after acquiring an additional 4,918 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lifted its position in Altria Group by 69.8% during the 4th quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 8,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $481,000 after acquiring an additional 3,430 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,698 shares of company stock worth $2,449,191. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO opened at $69.63 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $68.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.02. The firm has a market cap of $116.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The company’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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. 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. Barclays lifted 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, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

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.