Entropy Technologies LP Purchases Shares of 255,184 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 255,184 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,714,000. Altria Group accounts for about 0.8% of Entropy Technologies LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,275,886,000 after buying an additional 1,147,141 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,651,383,000 after buying an additional 729,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,306,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,286,174,000 after buying an additional 335,089 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $71.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.92. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

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

Altria Group 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.