Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut its Altria Group stake by 22% in the fourth quarter, selling 2.65 million shares and ending with 9.42 million shares valued at about $543 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 5.8%, while analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating and average price target of $70.44.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 22.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,419,825 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,653,857 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.56% of Altria Group worth $543,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% during the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $73.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $122.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.78. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group's revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the 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. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, 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 insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MO. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.44.

About Altria Group

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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