Cullinan Associates Inc. Sells 17,827 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Cullinan Associates Inc. decreased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 58.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,827 shares during the period. Cullinan Associates Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $831,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $71.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,334,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,513,980. The business’s fifty day moving average is $71.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.74. The stock has a market cap of $119.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.02, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America lifted 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

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.