Cullinan Associates Inc. Sells 17,827 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Cullinan Associates Inc. cut its stake in Altria Group by 58.6% in the first quarter, selling 17,827 shares and ending with 12,600 shares valued at about $831,000.
• 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 paid a $1.06 quarterly dividend, equivalent to an annualized $4.24 per share and a 5.9% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target price of $70.78.

Cullinan Associates Inc. lowered its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 58.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,600 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,827 shares during the quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company's stock worth $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 19.4% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 438.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company's stock worth $209,749,000 after purchasing an additional 2,962,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock traded up $0.19 on Friday, hitting $71.78. 7,334,373 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,513,980. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.74. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group'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. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were 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 was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.78.

About Altria Group

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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