Ascentis Independent Advisors Buys 61,670 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Ascentis Independent Advisors boosted its Altria Group stake by 344.3% in the first quarter, buying 61,670 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 79,580 shares valued at about $5.25 million.
• Several Altria insiders sold shares recently, including directors Debra J. Kelly and Ellen R. Strahlman, while institutional investors continue to hold a majority of the stock at 57.41% ownership.
• Altria recently beat earnings estimates with Q1 EPS of $1.32 and revenue of $4.76 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying a 5.8% yield.

Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 344.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,580 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 61,670 shares during the quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors' holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,252,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on MO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group upped their price target 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 objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $72.77 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.51 billion, a PE ratio of 15.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group's 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Altria Group Company 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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