Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 20.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,563 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,939 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,973,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 226.3% during the 1st quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.2%

MO stock opened at $66.54 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.86 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The stock's 50 day moving average is $65.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.20. The company has a market capitalization of $111.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. This is a boost from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 target price on Altria Group in a report on Thursday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Four research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $62.11.

Altria Group 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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