Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Avantax Planning Partners Inc.

Avantax Planning Partners Inc. trimmed its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 10.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 105,325 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,697 shares during the period. Avantax Planning Partners Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $6,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MO. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective 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. Five investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.2%

MO stock opened at $71.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.89. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given 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 was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s 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.