Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 37,917 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 612,958 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 37,917 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $35,344,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $73.12 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $69.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.78.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for 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 revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

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.