Altria Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:MO)

Key Points

• Altria Group saw unusually heavy options activity on Friday, with traders buying 243,407 call options — about 1,141% above the average volume.
• Insiders recently trimmed their holdings, including directors Ellen R. Strahlman and Debra J. Kelly, while insiders still own just 0.10% of the company.
• Altria beat quarterly expectations and continues paying a high dividend, reporting EPS of $1.32 on revenue of $4.76 billion and announcing a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying a 5.9% annual yield.

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders bought 243,407 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,141% compared to the average volume of 19,611 call options.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in 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. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.6%

MO traded up $0.42 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $71.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,402,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,367,691. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Research analysts expect that Altria Group will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Altria Group Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.