Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Sells 7,978 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich cut its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 31.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 17,671 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,978 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,775,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,438,000. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in Altria Group by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 126,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,276,000 after acquiring an additional 20,261 shares in the last quarter. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Biltmore Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $240,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE MO opened at $73.06 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.05. The stock has a market cap of $122.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

About Altria Group

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.