Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. Has $20.29 Million Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 24.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 351,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 112,200 shares during the quarter. Altria Group makes up about 0.7% of Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $20,285,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after acquiring an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in Altria Group by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,561,000 after acquiring an additional 17,429 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Altria Group by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,889,000 after acquiring an additional 18,626 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,926,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $73.06 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $67.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.05. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The firm has a market cap of $122.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.