Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Altria Group Call Options (NYSE:MO)

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock investors bought 121,099 call options on the company. This is an increase of 455% compared to the typical volume of 21,809 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 78.8% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the period. Evolution Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 110.9% during the second quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 2.5%

MO traded up $1.71 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $70.69. The stock had a trading volume of 7,816,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,256,657. Altria Group has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.11. The stock has a market cap of $118.03 billion, a PE ratio of 14.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Altria Group will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 89.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a tobacco and nicotine company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Through its operating companies, Altria develops, manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, oral tobacco products, nicotine pouches and electronic vaping products, with its business focused primarily on the United States.

Altria’s smokeable products portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, which are manufactured and marketed in the U.S. by Philip Morris USA, as well as Black & Mild cigars through John Middleton.