Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Sells 11,141 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 81,993 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,141 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $5,899,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 59.3% during the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after buying an additional 14,490 shares in the last quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,336,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 206.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,358,000 after acquiring an additional 50,931 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $68.37 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $77.06. The stock 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. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $71.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.61.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.

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.