Charles Whitaker Sells 27,908 Shares of Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) SVP Charles Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $67.08 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.32, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.82 and a 52-week high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MO. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Altria Group by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 111,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,511,000 after acquiring an additional 8,273 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 48.0% during the 2nd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 4,320 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Altria Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MO to $74 and reiterated a Buy, giving investors a clearer upside case that likely supports the stock’s uptick. UBS Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a note highlighting Altria as a strong momentum stock, reinforcing the view that earnings/flows and defensive rotation are supporting shares. Zacks Momentum Note
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and other outlets are featuring Altria as a high-yield, defensive income pick amid market volatility—supporting demand from income-focused investors. MarketBeat High-Yield Feature
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses (Seeking Alpha, 247WallSt) reiterate Altria’s durable cash flow and 6%-plus dividend yield, keeping it on radar as a defensive income play versus bonds. Seeking Alpha: Smoking’s Not Dead
• Neutral Sentiment: Company dividend details (quarterly $1.06; ex-dividend March 25) underpin yield attraction, but payout ratio >100% is a noted sustainability caveat. MarketBeat Dividend Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst landscape: several firms boosted targets while others remain cautious; consensus is still around “Hold,” so upgrades are not yet consensus-driven. Analyst Coverage Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Charles Whitaker sold ~27,908 shares (~$1.9M) recently, trimming his stake ~13% — a short-term negative signal that some investors may note. Insider Sale Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results modestly missed EPS expectations and showed slight revenue decline YoY, reminders of demand pressures and regulatory risk that could cap multiple expansion. Earnings & Fundamentals

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.