Altria Group, Inc. $MO Position Reduced by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services reduced its Altria stake by 9.4%, selling 121,483 shares and retaining 1,170,667 shares valued at about $78.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of the company.
• Analysts have a consensus Hold rating, with an average price target of $71.67; five rate the stock Buy, six Hold and two Sell.
• Altria beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, and its quarterly dividend rose to $1.11 per share, an annualized $4.44 and a 5.8% yield.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,170,667 shares of the company's stock after selling 121,483 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Altria Group worth $78,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cortland Associates Inc. MO increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. Cortland Associates Inc. MO now owns 11,079 shares of the company's stock worth $746,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.67.

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 Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 114,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE MO traded down $1.50 on Friday, hitting $76.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,174,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,660,204. The firm has a market cap of $126.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $79.87. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $71.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.15.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 330.66% and a net margin of 34.51%. The business's revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

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

About Altria Group

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.

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