LSV Asset Management Sells 113,823 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management trimmed its Altria stake by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 113,823 shares. It still held 5.2 million shares valued at about $300 million at quarter-end.
• Altria beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.32 versus the $1.25 estimate and revenue of $4.76 billion versus $4.58 billion expected. The company also raised its FY 2026 guidance to 5.56–5.72 EPS.
• Altria continues to appeal to income investors with a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, or $4.24 annually, for a yield of 5.7%. However, analysts are mixed overall, with MarketBeat showing a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.33.

LSV Asset Management lessened its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,201,853 shares of the company's stock after selling 113,823 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 0.31% of Altria Group worth $299,939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MO. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock worth $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company's stock worth $797,587,000 after acquiring an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in Altria Group by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company's stock worth $9,561,000 after acquiring an additional 17,429 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in Altria Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company's stock worth $39,889,000 after acquiring an additional 18,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services bought a new position in Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,926,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $73.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $123.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The company's 50 day moving average price is $67.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.51. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.33.

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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