Beacon Financial Group Sells 42,638 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Beacon Financial Group trimmed its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 58.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 30,124 shares of the company’s stock after selling 42,638 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Group’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on MO. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.78.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group 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 sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $71.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $119.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $71.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.71.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

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.