Altria Group, Inc. $MO Position Reduced by Lingohr Asset Management GmbH

Key Points

• Lingohr Asset Management GmbH significantly reduced its stake in Altria Group, Inc., cutting holdings by 88.2% to 13,611 shares, making it only 1.4% of their portfolio.
• Altria Group reported earnings of $1.44 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations, along with a slight increase in revenue compared to last year.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend to $1.06 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 6.4%, signaling continued commitment to returning capital to shareholders.

Lingohr Asset Management GmbH decreased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 88.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,611 shares of the company's stock after selling 101,910 shares during the period. Altria Group comprises 1.4% of Lingohr Asset Management GmbH's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Lingohr Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Altria Group were worth $798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 226.3% in the first quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter worth $31,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 51.8% in the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 636 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $66.64 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $63.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.17. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $48.86 and a one year high of $68.60. The firm has a market cap of $111.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.59.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.21 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 295.26% and a net margin of 37.24%.The company's revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 78.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Bank of America boosted their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Altria Group from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $47.00 to $59.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $60.88.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

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