Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Sells 718,145 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd cut its Altria Group stake by 15.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 718,145 shares and leaving it with 3,946,841 shares valued at about $227.6 million.
• Altria reported quarterly earnings of $1.32 per share, topping estimates, while revenue rose 5.3% year over year to $4.76 billion and the company reaffirmed FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.56 to 5.72.
• The company continues to return cash to shareholders with a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, equating to an annualized yield of 6.2%, even as analysts maintain a mixed but mostly cautious outlook with a consensus rating of Hold.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd reduced its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 15.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,946,841 shares of the company's stock after selling 718,145 shares during the period. Altria Group accounts for 1.2% of Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd owned 0.24% of Altria Group worth $227,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 86.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.22.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $68.11 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $66.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.77. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. Altria Group's payout ratio is 88.70%.

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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