Cullen Capital Management LLC Sells 142,696 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Cullen Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,338,076 shares of the company’s stock after selling 142,696 shares during the quarter. Cullen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $134,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Altria Group by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Altria Group by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its position in Altria Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in Altria Group by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO stock opened at $71.83 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $69.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.92. The company has a market capitalization of $119.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was 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.

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.