Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stake Lessened by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd lowered its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 57.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,017 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,504 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $475,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $583,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $72.32 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $68.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.45. The firm has a market cap of $120.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders 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 is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

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.