Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 17,543 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 119,540 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,543 shares during the quarter. Altria Group comprises approximately 0.8% of Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Octavia Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $8,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Country Trust Bank boosted its stake in Altria Group by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 334.7% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MO shares. UBS Group raised Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.56.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $61.47 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.08 and a 1-year high of $68.60. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $58.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 319.43% and a net margin of 37.89%.The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.38 earnings per share. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 80.92%.

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.