Sanctuary Advisors LLC Has $37.37 Million Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 566,366 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,370 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $37,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Patten Group Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group by 4.0% during the first quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 4,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $583,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Trading Down 2.3%

MO stock opened at $70.21 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.24 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.