Capital World Investors Sells 6,590,723 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Capital World Investors trimmed its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 26.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,435,287 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,590,723 shares during the period. Capital World Investors owned approximately 1.10% of Altria Group worth $1,062,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $72.32 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $120.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.50. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group 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 $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their target price 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. Citigroup increased 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, UBS Group increased their target price 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. Five equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.