Lido Advisors LLC Sells 361,363 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Lido Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 52.7% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 324,037 shares of the company’s stock after selling 361,363 shares during the quarter. Lido Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $21,715,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.78.

Key Stories Impacting Altria Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Altria’s dividend profile continues to support the stock, with one recent analysis highlighting its attractive yield and relatively cheaper valuation versus consumer staples peers, which may keep income-focused buyers interested. Altria: Strong Dividend Yield, But Weaker Fundamentals
• Positive Sentiment: Another commentary argued Altria remains a “forever hold” for long-term investors, reinforcing the company’s appeal as a defensive, high-yield consumer staples name. Altria Group Is My ‘Forever Hold’; Here’s Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage compared Altria’s performance with other consumer staples names, but the updates were mostly screening-style commentary and do not appear to change the fundamental story for the stock. Is Altria Group (MO) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Staples Peers This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also focused on Altria’s upcoming earnings report, with recent previews saying revenue and earnings are expected to grow, but that the setup does not strongly favor a major earnings beat. Altria (MO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Negative Sentiment: One Seeking Alpha piece downgraded the stock, saying Altria’s strong recent outperformance has made the shares look expensive, which could pressure valuation-sensitive investors. Altria: Outperformance Makes It Pricey (Rating Downgrade)

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $72.08 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.36 billion, a PE ratio of 15.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $75.28. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $71.91 and a 200 day moving average of $67.71.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released 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. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend 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.