Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Meitav Investment House Ltd.

Meitav Investment House Ltd. trimmed its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 21.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,277 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,140 shares during the quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Country Trust Bank lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 400.0% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 334.7% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock opened at $61.84 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $103.81 billion, a PE ratio of 11.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.47. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.08 and a 12 month high of $68.60. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 319.43% and a net margin of 37.89%.The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.92%.

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.