Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Director Ellen Strahlman Sells 2,000 Shares

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Director Ellen Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $71.94 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $68.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.98. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $120.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group’s quarterly 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on MO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Altria Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Altria Group by 13.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Altria Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services bought a new position in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at $3,926,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.