Aviance Capital Partners LLC Has $755,000 Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Aviance Capital Partners cut its Altria Group position by 51.5% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 13,092 shares valued at about $755,000.
• 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 also raised FY 2026 guidance to $5.56-$5.72 EPS.
• Altria announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, payable July 10, implying a 5.7% yield. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus rating of Hold and a target price of $69.33.

Aviance Capital Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 51.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,092 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,890 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,929,000 after buying an additional 3,321,262 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 19.4% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 438.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,749,000 after buying an additional 2,962,270 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at about $89,460,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $74.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $123.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $67.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.20.

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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Citigroup raised their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.33.

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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