JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

JPMorgan Chase & Co. trimmed its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 22.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,419,825 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,653,857 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $543,147,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,285,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 438.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,749,000 after purchasing an additional 2,962,270 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $89,460,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO stock opened at $73.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $122.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.78.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, 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. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup raised their target price 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Company 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.