Legal & General Group Plc Sells 131,027 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,038,475 shares of the company’s stock after selling 131,027 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $521,158,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:MO opened at $73.95 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.67.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 firm 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.