Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by Blue Capital Inc.

Blue Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 169.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,270 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,226 shares during the period. Blue Capital Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $69.18 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $69.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.28. The stock has a market cap of $115.53 billion, a PE ratio of 14.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56.

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. 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.