IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO – Free Report) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 256,753 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,486 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $16,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 6.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.44.
Altria Group Stock Performance
MO stock opened at $71.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $119.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.13. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.
Altria Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
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.
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