VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Reduces Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al decreased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,992,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 126,200 shares during the quarter. Altria Group accounts for about 0.7% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $114,888,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Gould Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% in the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. 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. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target 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. 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 company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.22.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $69.94 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $116.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.87.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.