Altria Group, Inc. $MO Position Cut by Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC

Key Points

• Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management cut its Altria stake by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, though institutional investors still own 57.41% of the company.
• 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% from a year earlier.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 5.9%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $70.44.

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC reduced its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 225,364 shares of the company's stock after selling 32,427 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $12,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whalerock Point Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 81.5% in the fourth quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC now owns 16,702 shares of the company's stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 4,053.7% during the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,681,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,977,000 after buying an additional 1,641,384 shares during the period. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $372,000. Piedmont Capital Management LLC NC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $299,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 513,058 shares of the company's stock worth $29,583,000 after acquiring an additional 43,802 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:MO opened at $71.83 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.98.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue 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. Equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's payout ratio is 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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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