Caldwell Trust Co Makes New $1.61 Million Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Caldwell Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 27,520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,613,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Country Trust Bank raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $58.76 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $98.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.21, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $50.08 and a 1 year high of $68.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $60.48 and a 200-day moving average of $61.76.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.38 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.92%.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.