Premier Fund Managers Ltd Has $1.73 Million Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Premier Fund Managers Ltd cut its stake in Altria by 75.6%, selling 93,100 shares in Q4 and retaining 30,000 shares valued at about $1.73 million.
• Altria topped quarterly estimates with $1.32 EPS (vs. $1.25) and $4.76B revenue (vs. $4.58B), set FY2026 guidance of 5.56–5.72 EPS, and pays a dividend that annualizes to a 6.0% yield.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is "Hold" with an average price target of $69.22 (five Buys, five Holds, two Sells), while the stock trades near $70.26 and has a ~$117.3B market cap.

Premier Fund Managers Ltd lessened its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 75.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 93,100 shares during the quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd's holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Gould Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.22.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $70.26 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $117.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $66.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.74. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group's payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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