Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 43.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,646 shares of the company's stock after selling 35,482 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in Altria Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company's stock valued at $232,677,000 after buying an additional 44,303 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,647,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $797,587,000 after buying an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in Altria Group by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,561,000 after buying an additional 17,429 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Altria Group by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,889,000 after buying an additional 18,626 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $68.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $114.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The firm's fifty day moving average is $66.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.83.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. 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 report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.22.

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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