Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Kennon Green & Company LLC

Kennon Green & Company LLC cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 108,443 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,796 shares during the period. Altria Group accounts for about 5.8% of Kennon Green & Company LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Kennon Green & Company LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 78.8% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade bought 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on MO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Freedom Broker upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. BTIG Research began coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock traded up $0.53 during trading on Monday, hitting $67.88. 9,267,160 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,149,702. The stock has a market cap of $113.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.42. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $68.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.21. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The company’s revenue 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 forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 93.67%.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria’s principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.