Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 14.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 46,145 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,506 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,094,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 86.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its position in Altria Group by 6.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,752,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction 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. 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. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. 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 research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $68.25 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.43. The stock has a market cap of $113.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 89.45%.

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.