New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 19,579 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,483,182 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,579 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $97,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its stake 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MO. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock opened at $72.77 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45.

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 company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group’s 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 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid 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 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Company 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.