Private Advisor Group LLC Sells 15,900 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Private Advisor Group LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 7.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 196,587 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,900 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $12,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 438.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,962,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO stock opened at $72.77 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.27. The company has a market capitalization of $121.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22, a PEG ratio of 2.72 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.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America lifted their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays raised their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.