Independent Financial Group LLC Buys Shares of 37,733 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Independent Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 37,733 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,490,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of 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 shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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 boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group 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 value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $74.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $123.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $75.28. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.21.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.