Aberdeen Group plc Sells 46,406 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc reduced its Altria stake by 24.4% in the second quarter, selling 46,406 shares and retaining 143,634 shares valued at approximately $10.3 million.
• Other major institutions, including Vanguard, State Street, Charles Schwab, Geode and Morgan Stanley, increased their Altria holdings; institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of the company.
• Altria recently reported $1.48 in quarterly EPS, slightly below estimates, while revenue rose 1.2% year over year to $5.36 billion. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Hold”, with an average price target of $70.11.

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 24.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 143,634 shares of the company's stock after selling 46,406 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc's holdings in Altria Group were worth $10,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of 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 period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after acquiring an additional 6,265,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,651,383,000 after acquiring an additional 729,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,306,173 shares of the company's stock worth $1,286,174,000 after purchasing an additional 335,089 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $65.72 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.46. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $70.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.73. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 during 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.11.

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.

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