Old Peak Finance LLC Takes Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Old Peak Finance LLC bought a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $678,000. Altria Group comprises 0.4% of Old Peak Finance LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during 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 during the period. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Austin Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $68.61 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.14. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $114.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays raised their price target on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,698 shares of company stock valued at $2,449,191. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.