Hikari Power Ltd Sells 42,150 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Hikari Power Ltd reduced its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 17.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 196,060 shares of the company’s stock after selling 42,150 shares during the quarter. Altria Group comprises about 1.1% of Hikari Power Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Hikari Power Ltd’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $12,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 62.9% in the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 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 Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% 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.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $72.81 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $121.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $71.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.61. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.