20,809 Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by MRA Advisory Group

Key Points

• MRA Advisory Group cut its Altria stake by 71.3% in the third quarter, selling 20,809 shares and retaining 8,390 shares valued at approximately $565,000.
• Altria reported quarterly EPS of $1.48, slightly below estimates, while revenue of $5.36 billion edged above forecasts. Analysts expect full-year EPS of about $5.67.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, or $4.44 annually, representing a 6.4% yield; analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $70.11.

MRA Advisory Group lessened its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 71.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,390 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,809 shares during the quarter. MRA Advisory Group's holdings in Altria Group were worth $565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.1% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,073,166 shares of the company's stock worth $9,070,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,325,175 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,275,886,000 after acquiring an additional 1,147,141 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,104,566,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,929,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,194,000 after purchasing an additional 133,676 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock traded up $0.86 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $69.41. The stock had a trading volume of 2,527,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,112,368. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.24. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $77.06. The stock has a market cap of $115.90 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.42.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The business's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 93.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on MO. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays dropped their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria's principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.

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