Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 43.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,646 shares of the company’s stock after selling 35,482 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after acquiring an additional 44,303 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after acquiring an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 13.7% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,561,000 after buying an additional 17,429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 3.2% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,889,000 after buying an additional 18,626 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $68.60 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $114.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $66.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.83.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

About Altria Group

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.