Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,301,598 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,384 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.20% of Altria Group worth $237,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 5.8% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the second quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $821,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $65.72 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $109.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $70.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.69. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Company 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.