Keudell Morrison Wealth Management Invests $1.75 Million in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Keudell Morrison Wealth Management acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 30,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,748,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 252.3% in the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 124,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,164,000 after buying an additional 88,976 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 42,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,436,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 5,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 85.7% in the fourth quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 10,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $617,000 after buying an additional 4,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnolia Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Magnolia Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $220,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $73.61 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $122.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its 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. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

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.