VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Sells 126,200 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems reduced its Altria stake by 6% in the fourth quarter, selling 126,200 shares and leaving it with about 1.99 million shares worth roughly $114.9 million.
• Altria reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter results, posting EPS of $1.32 versus the $1.25 consensus and revenue of $4.76 billion, with revenue up 5.3% from a year earlier.
• The company continues to lean on income-focused investors with a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, or $4.24 annualized, for a yield of 6.1%; analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $69.22.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al trimmed its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,992,500 shares of the company's stock after selling 126,200 shares during the quarter. Altria Group comprises about 0.7% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned about 0.12% of Altria Group worth $114,888,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock worth $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,543,000 after acquiring an additional 59,189 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company's stock worth $842,122,000 after acquiring an additional 132,846 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Altria Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $801,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $69.94 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $66.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.87. The company has a market cap of $116.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Five 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm'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 sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Altria Group Company 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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