PeakShares LLC Purchases New Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

PeakShares LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 16,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,085,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $73.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $71.60 and a 200 day moving average of $67.16.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on MO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’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 value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.