International Assets Investment Management LLC Trims Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

International Assets Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 56.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 33,273 shares of the company’s stock after selling 42,300 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MO. Associated Banc Corp boosted its position in Altria Group by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 46,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,042,000 after acquiring an additional 3,420 shares in the last quarter. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 1,427.1% in the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 91,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,218,000 after purchasing an additional 85,198 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its stake in Altria Group by 21.3% in the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 5,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 208.8% in the first quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 8,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 5,975 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.0%

Altria Group stock opened at $71.78 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $119.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.80.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. 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, May 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

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.