Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC Sells 12,507 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC decreased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 5.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 207,319 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,507 shares during the period. Altria Group comprises about 1.6% of Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $13,695,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 30,860 shares during the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,048,000 after buying an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 82.7% during the 1st quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 3,570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invst LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 252.0% during the 1st quarter. Invst LLC now owns 16,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $972,000 after acquiring an additional 11,589 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $57.54 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.08 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.98, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $58.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.49.

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

Altria Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.56.

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.