Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Bought by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 715.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 654,966 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 574,650 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Altria Group were worth $43,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock worth $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company's stock worth $4,275,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147,141 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,651,383,000 after buying an additional 729,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,306,173 shares of the company's stock worth $1,286,174,000 after buying an additional 335,089 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $71.78 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $71.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.80. The stock has a market cap of $119.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.02, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MO. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays raised their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.78.

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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