Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Oakworth Capital Inc.

Oakworth Capital Inc. decreased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,079 shares of the company’s stock after selling 458 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 26,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,581,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Vista Investment Partners II LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 4,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.9% in the first quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 9,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $567,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% during the first quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 12,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.7% in the first quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised Altria Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.88.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.7%

MO stock opened at $65.67 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.86 and a twelve month high of $68.60. The company’s 50 day moving average is $64.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.69. The stock has a market cap of $110.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.70, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.59.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.21 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.24% and a negative return on equity of 295.26%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 82.01%.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.