30,221 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Bought by Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC

Key Points

• Hilton Head Capital Partners disclosed a new fourth-quarter position in Altria Group, buying 30,221 shares valued at about $1.74 million. The stake makes MO about 1.0% of the fund’s holdings.
• Insider selling took place in late May, with directors Debra J. Kelly and Ellen R. Strahlman selling shares worth roughly $418,000 and $145,000, respectively. Company insiders now own just 0.10% of the stock.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $1.32 versus estimates of $1.25 and revenue of $4.76 billion, up 5.3% year over year. The company also reaffirmed a strong dividend profile, paying a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share for a 5.9% yield.

Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 30,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,743,000. Altria Group accounts for about 1.0% of Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock worth $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $797,587,000 after buying an additional 814,665 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,561,000 after buying an additional 17,429 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,889,000 after buying an additional 18,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $72.32 on Monday. 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 is $68.80 and its 200-day moving average is $64.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.46.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Altria Group 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.