Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Purchases 188,790 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3,528.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194,141 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 188,790 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $11,194,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors 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 valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $71.83 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 2.67 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.92.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on MO. Citigroup increased their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Bank of America raised their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Company 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.