Alps Advisors Inc. Grows Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Alps Advisors Inc. increased its Altria stake by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 58,450 shares to bring its total to 523,906 shares valued at about $30.2 million.
• Altria’s latest earnings topped expectations, with quarterly EPS of $1.32 versus $1.25 expected and revenue of $4.76 billion, up 5.3% year over year. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance of 5.56 to 5.72.
• Altria declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, payable July 10, implying an annualized dividend of $4.24 and a yield of 5.9%. Meanwhile, several analysts nudged price targets higher, though the stock’s consensus rating remains “Hold.”

Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 523,906 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 58,450 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $30,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 62.9% in the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

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 sale, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MO. Barclays upped their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped 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. Citigroup upped their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Down 2.3%

MO opened at $71.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $119.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $69.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.87.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

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.

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