Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Buys 14,644 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. by 340.2% in the first quarter, owning a total of 18,949 shares valued at approximately $1.14 million.
• Altria reported $1.44 earnings per share for its last quarter, surpassing estimates, with a revenue of $5.29 billion, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 0.2%.
• The company announced a new quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, up from $1.02, with a dividend yield of 6.3% and a payout ratio of 78.92%.

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 340.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,949 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,644 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 88.5% in the 1st quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 8,536 shares of the company's stock worth $512,000 after buying an additional 4,007 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 17.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 36,028 shares of the company's stock worth $2,162,000 after acquiring an additional 5,440 shares during the last quarter. Patron Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 12,217 shares of the company's stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 1,325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 152.2% in the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 58,268 shares of the company's stock worth $3,497,000 after acquiring an additional 35,168 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock traded down $0.07 on Friday, reaching $66.52. 5,935,439 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,133,504. The business's 50 day moving average price is $62.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.70. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $48.86 and a 12-month high of $68.60. The company has a market capitalization of $111.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 target price on Altria Group in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC upgraded Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.