Whalerock Point Partners LLC Acquires 7,500 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Whalerock Point Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 81.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 16,702 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,500 shares during the quarter. Whalerock Point Partners LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $963,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 62.9% in the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on MO. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Bank of America raised their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of MO stock opened at $71.83 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $119.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $69.40 and its 200 day moving average is $64.98. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Altria Group

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.