Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $27.18 Million Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 72.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 471,352 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 197,765 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $27,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter worth about $5,752,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Bank of America raised their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.22.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $68.11 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $66.83 and its 200-day moving average is $62.77. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $113.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 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.