Opal Capital LLC Invests $4.36 Million in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Opal Capital LLC opened a new position in Altria Group, buying 75,260 shares valued at about $4.36 million in the fourth quarter.
• Altria’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $1.32 versus $1.25 expected and revenue of $4.76 billion, up 5.3% year over year. The company also raised FY2026 guidance to 5.56-5.72 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 6.0%. Meanwhile, two directors sold shares in recent insider transactions, and analysts currently rate the stock a Hold on average.

Opal Capital LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 75,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,362,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $1,127,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $475,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $583,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC raised its position 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 worth $605,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MO. Wall Street Zen upgraded Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. UBS Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE MO opened at $70.18 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $69.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.14. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The company 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 (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.