129,366 Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.

Key Points

• University of Texas Texas A&M Investment Management Co. increased its Altria stake by 137.4%, buying 129,366 shares in the third quarter to hold 223,537 shares valued at about $15.3 million.
• Altria reported quarterly revenue of $5.44 billion, above estimates, and EPS of $1.52, narrowly beating expectations. The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, an annualized yield of about 5.8%.
• Analyst sentiment was generally cautious: MarketBeat reported an average “Hold” rating and an average price target of $71.67.

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 137.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 223,537 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 129,366 shares during the quarter. Altria Group makes up approximately 1.9% of University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $15,300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Cortland Associates Inc. MO grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. Cortland Associates Inc. MO now owns 11,079 shares of the company's stock valued at $746,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company's stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the company's stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company's stock worth $821,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $76.08 on Monday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $71.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.15. The company has a market cap of $126.55 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $79.87.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 330.66% and a net margin of 34.51%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a boost from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group's payout ratio is presently 91.74%.

Key Stories Impacting Altria Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Altria reported third-quarter 2026 sales of $5.441 billion, net income of $2.518 billion and continuing-operations EPS of $1.51. The company also extended its long-running dividend-increase streak, continued share repurchases and pointed to growth in its on! nicotine pouch brand—supporting the case for earnings and cash returns. Are Strong Earnings Altering The Investment Case For Altria Stock (MO)?
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted MO’s high shareholder yield and appeal to investors seeking defensive income amid market volatility. One characterized the stock as trading in a buy zone as investors rotated toward consumer staples. Meet the High-Yield Dividend Stock Quietly Crushing the S&P 500 4 Stocks With Solid Shareholder Yields to Buy Amid US Market Decline Altria Stock Trades In Buy Zone As Investors Shift To Defense
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether Altria’s dividend adequately compensates investors for its share-price risks highlights the need to weigh income against potential capital returns. The supplied article summary does not detail a new company-specific concern. Is Altria's Dividend Enough To Make Up For Its Share Price?

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. The trade was a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.67.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based tobacco and nicotine company whose businesses focus primarily on the domestic market. Its products include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, oral nicotine products and e-vapor products.

Altria's portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, made by Philip Morris USA; Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco products, made by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and products from John Middleton and Helix Innovations. The company also owns NJOY, an e-vapor brand.

The company was established as Philip Morris Companies Inc and adopted the Altria name in 2003.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.