Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Reduces Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lowered its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 13.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,965,179 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,832,496 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $689,912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,647,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after buying an additional 814,665 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,561,000 after buying an additional 17,429 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO stock opened at $71.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $69.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.92.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

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.