Koss Olinger Consulting LLC Purchases 9,194 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Koss Olinger Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 172.2% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 14,533 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,194 shares during the period. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $959,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Next Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter valued at $243,000. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 67.7% during the 1st quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 10,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $666,000 after buying an additional 4,073 shares in the last quarter. Paradigm Strategies in Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth $226,000. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.0% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 4,926,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $325,100,000 after buying an additional 323,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the first quarter valued at about $281,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE MO opened at $74.23 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $123.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $75.28. The business’s fifty day moving average is $71.72 and its 200 day moving average is $67.28.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company 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 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related 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 transaction of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.78.

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.