Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stock Holdings Boosted by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MOFree Report) by 2.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,952,375 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,974 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $128,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Altria Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after acquiring an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321,262 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 438.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after purchasing an additional 2,962,270 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 301.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,224 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays increased their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Altria Group

Altria Group Trading Up 0.4%

MO stock opened at $70.44 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $71.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.63 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MOGet Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Altria Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Altria Group (NYSE:MO)

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