Koss Olinger Consulting LLC Sells 447 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Koss Olinger Consulting LLC reduced its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,978 shares of the company’s stock after selling 447 shares during the period. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 226.3% during the 1st quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 51.8% during the 1st quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:MO opened at $64.72 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.73 billion, a PE ratio of 12.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $65.76 and its 200 day moving average is $61.76. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.58 and a 12 month high of $68.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.24% and a negative return on equity of 295.26%. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. 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. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 82.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Altria Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $47.00 to $59.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.11.

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.