Rovin Capital UT ADV Reduces Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Rovin Capital UT ADV lowered its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 37.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,811 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,638 shares during the period. Rovin Capital UT ADV’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 51.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc grew its position in Altria Group by 64.4% in the first quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc now owns 717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $57.24 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.51. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $50.08 and a 52 week high of $68.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.35 and a 200-day moving average of $61.84.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.24% and a negative return on equity of 295.26%. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 80.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays raised their price target on Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.33.

Altria Group Company 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.