Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by Focus Partners Wealth

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth has increased its stake in Altria Group, acquiring an additional 30,860 shares for a total of 202,587 shares, valued at approximately $12.2 million.
• Altria Group's latest quarterly earnings beat expectations, reporting $1.44 EPS against a consensus estimate of $1.37, with revenues of $5.29 billion.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, an increase from its previous dividend, translating to an annual yield of 6.4%.

Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 18.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 202,587 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 30,860 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Altria Group were worth $12,218,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 226.3% during the 1st quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Pinney & Scofield Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 51.8% during the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 636 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $66.64 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $48.86 and a 1-year high of $68.60. The stock has a market cap of $111.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $63.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.09.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.21 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 295.26% and a net margin of 37.24%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. This is a boost from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $60.88.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

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