Calton & Associates Inc. Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Calton & Associates Inc. has invested approximately $392,000 in Altria Group, acquiring 6,532 shares during the first quarter.
• Altria Group's quarterly dividend has increased to $1.06 per share, representing an annual yield of 6.3%, with the next payment scheduled for October 10th.
• Equities analysts have mixed ratings on Altria Group, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $60.88.

Calton & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,532 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $392,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 226.3% in the first quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the first quarter worth $31,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 51.8% in the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 636 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the first quarter worth $40,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $66.52. 5,920,786 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,980,595. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.86 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $62.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.60. The company has a market cap of $111.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.87, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.59.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America raised their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Barclays lifted their price target on Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Needham & Company LLC upgraded Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.