Burford Brothers Inc. Buys 9,451 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Burford Brothers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 22.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 50,647 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,451 shares during the period. Altria Group makes up approximately 1.2% of Burford Brothers Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Burford Brothers Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $73.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $122.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.05. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two 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 business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.