Savant Capital LLC Sells 49,317 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC cut its stake in Altria Group by 42.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 49,317 shares and leaving it with 66,451 shares valued at about $3.83 million.
• Several institutional investors continued to hold large positions in MO, and 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutions overall.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $1.32 and revenue of $4.76 billion, and it also declared a $1.06 quarterly dividend, implying a 6.1% yield.

Savant Capital LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 42.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,451 shares of the company's stock after selling 49,317 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,651,383,000 after acquiring an additional 729,999 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in Altria Group by 19.4% during 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 last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,543,000 after acquiring an additional 59,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company's stock worth $801,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 35,698 shares of company stock valued at $2,449,191 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $69.63 on Friday. 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 $116.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.48. The company's 50 day moving average price is $68.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.02.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

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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