Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC Increases Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 86.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 53,330 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,699 shares during the quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 10,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:MO opened at $73.73 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.13 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.29 and a 200-day moving average of $65.83. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MO. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target 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. 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 shares of Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.