Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 12,934 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS reduced its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 390,469 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,934 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $22,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC now owns 21,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,589,000. Zhang Financial LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 20,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 2,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,339,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,698 shares of company stock worth $2,449,191. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE MO opened at $69.63 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $116.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.07.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. 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.