Narwhal Capital Management Sells 10,000 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Narwhal Capital Management trimmed its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 45.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,045 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,000 shares during the period. Narwhal Capital Management’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 143,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,594,000 after purchasing an additional 41,406 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 18.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 202,587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,218,000 after purchasing an additional 30,860 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 18.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 40,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,460,000 after purchasing an additional 6,441 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of MO opened at $57.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $96.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $58.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $61.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.08 and a 12 month high of $68.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 319.43% and a net margin of 37.89%.The company’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.38 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MO. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.56.

Altria Group 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.