Cascade Financial Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 60.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 18,510 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,984 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management purchased a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $73.06 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The firm has a market cap of $122.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.04.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

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.