Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stake Lessened by James J. Burns & Company LLC

James J. Burns & Company LLC lessened its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 70.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,107 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,401 shares during the quarter. James J. Burns & Company LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,275,886,000 after acquiring an additional 1,147,141 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,651,383,000 after purchasing an additional 729,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,306,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,286,174,000 after purchasing an additional 335,089 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group 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 transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. 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. Citigroup increased their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays raised their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $69.60 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $69.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $116.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.