Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Sells 438,648 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 66.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 220,881 shares of the company’s stock after selling 438,648 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $12,727,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% 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.

Altria Group Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $69.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.06. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS 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. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.44.

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.