Alta Capital Management LLC Has $4.82 Million Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Alta Capital Management increased its stake in Altria Group by 24.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 83,545 shares valued at about $4.82 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 an annualized yield of about 5.8%; analysts currently have an overall Hold consensus with a target price of $69.33.

Alta Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 24.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 83,545 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 16,539 shares during the quarter. Alta Capital Management LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $926,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MO shares. Citigroup boosted 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $73.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.11. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $123.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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