23,937 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Purchased by Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac

Key Points

• Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac opened a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter, buying 23,937 shares worth about $1.34 million.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.32 versus $1.25 expected and revenue of $4.76 billion, up 5.3% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying a 6.1% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $70.44.

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,937 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,339,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 3.2%

MO stock opened at $69.63 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.21 and a 200-day moving average of $64.02. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $74.56. The company has a market cap of $116.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 35,698 shares of company stock worth $2,449,191 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.44.

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.

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