Vista Investment Partners LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Vista Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 52.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,406 shares during the quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $68.37 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.61. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $77.06. The firm has a market cap of $114.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The business had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 89.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on 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 reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Five investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

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.