Forum Financial Management LP Sells 8,158 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Forum Financial Management LP reduced its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 37.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,471 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,158 shares during the quarter. Forum Financial Management LP’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $889,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 31,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,063,000 after purchasing an additional 3,239 shares during the period. EWA LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. EWA LLC now owns 6,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Simmons Bank increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 12.4% during the 1st quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 54,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,613,000 after purchasing an additional 6,022 shares during the period. Next Level Private LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% during the first quarter. Next Level Private LLC now owns 41,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,736,000 after buying an additional 3,976 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the first quarter valued at about $220,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $74.10 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.47 and a 200-day moving average of $65.95. 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 $123.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.76 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on MO. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price 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. UBS Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.