LVW Advisors LLC Trims Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

LVW Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 12.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,588 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,573 shares during the quarter. LVW Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, 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 buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $57.55 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.68. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $50.08 and a fifty-two week high of $68.60. The company has a market capitalization of $96.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.38 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.92%.

Altria Group Company 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.