Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by HRT Financial LP

HRT Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 317.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,042,012 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 792,285 shares during the period. HRT Financial LP owned approximately 0.06% of Altria Group worth $61,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Country Trust Bank lifted its position in Altria Group by 400.0% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $58.76 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $50.08 and a fifty-two week high of $68.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.73. The company has a market cap of $98.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.2%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 80.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.33.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.