Legal & General Group Plc Has $521.16 Million Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,038,475 shares of the company’s stock after selling 131,027 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.54% of Altria Group worth $521,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Gould Capital LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $73.95 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.67. The firm has a market cap of $123.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.47, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued 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 net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.