Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $67.22 Million Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management trimmed its Altria stake by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, but still held 1,165,851 shares worth about $67.2 million as of its latest filing.
• Several Altria insiders sold shares recently, including directors Ellen R. Strahlman and Debra J. Kelly, while institutional ownership remains high at 57.41%.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $1.32 and revenue of $4.76 billion, and it also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying a 5.9% yield.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,165,851 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,784 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Altria Group worth $67,223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Bank of America lifted their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MO opened at $72.32 on Monday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $68.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.50. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The company has a market cap of $120.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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