Natixis Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Natixis Advisors LLC cut its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,170,871 shares of the company’s stock after selling 55,412 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Altria Group worth $67,512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on MO. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO stock opened at $69.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $115.60 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $68.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.14. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,698 shares of company stock valued at $2,449,191. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.