Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stock Position Lifted by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 16.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,988 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,925 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,553,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Kanawha Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Patten Group Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 4,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,117 shares of the company’s stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MO. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.78.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO opened at $70.44 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $71.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.05. The stock has a market cap of $117.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s 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.