Canal Capital Management LLC Trims Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Canal Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 14.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 169,838 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29,163 shares during the period. Altria Group accounts for about 1.5% of Canal Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Canal Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $12,220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.8% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 4.6% during the second quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Advisors LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MO. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Five research 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. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’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 owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $65.72 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $70.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.69. The firm has a market cap of $109.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

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.