London Co. of Virginia Sells 112,842 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• London Co. of Virginia trimmed its Altria Group stake by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 112,842 shares and leaving it with 3.84 million shares worth about $221.4 million.
• Several Altria insiders sold shares recently, including directors Debra J. Kelly and Ellen R. Strahlman, while insiders overall own just 0.10% of the company.
• Altria reported better-than-expected Q1 results with EPS of $1.32 and revenue of $4.76 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying a 6.0% yield.

London Co. of Virginia lowered its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,839,122 shares of the company's stock after selling 112,842 shares during the period. Altria Group accounts for 1.3% of London Co. of Virginia's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. London Co. of Virginia owned about 0.23% of Altria Group worth $221,365,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $733,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,117 shares of the company's stock valued at $583,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 10,498 shares of the company's stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $70.18 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.68, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Altria Group's payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Altria Group 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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