Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 88,068 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,651 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 226.3% during the first quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 51.8% during the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $64.40 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.98 and a 1-year high of $68.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $65.87 and a 200-day moving average of $61.52. The company has a market capitalization of $108.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.55.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 295.26% and a net margin of 37.24%.The company had revenue of $5.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.01%.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.