Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC decreased its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 92.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 635 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,606 shares during the quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $37,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Americana Partners LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 1,110 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 8,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $507,000 after purchasing an additional 2,114 shares during the period. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,748,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 252.3% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 124,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,164,000 after purchasing an additional 88,976 shares during the period. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its position in Altria Group by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 42,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,436,000 after purchasing an additional 756 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $73.95 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.72 and its 200-day moving average is $63.51. The company has a market capitalization of $123.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Altria Group

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.