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

Key Points

• IFP Advisors increased its Altria stake by 408% in the third quarter, adding 199,318 shares to hold 248,166 shares worth approximately $16.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of the stock.
• Altria raised its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, equal to a $4.44 annual payout and a 5.9% yield, though its 93.67% payout ratio remains high.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with five Buy, five Hold and two Sell ratings and a consensus target of $70.11. The company slightly missed quarterly EPS estimates while reporting $5.36 billion in revenue and maintaining 2026 EPS guidance of $5.61–$5.72.

IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 408.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 248,166 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 199,318 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Altria Group were worth $16,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $631,606,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $349,743,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 3,691.2% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company's stock worth $259,492,000 after buying an additional 3,511,430 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained a $79 price target for Altria, implying additional potential upside from recent levels and signaling continued confidence in the tobacco company’s outlook. UBS reiterates USD 79.00 target for Altria Group stock
• Positive Sentiment: Several investor-focused reports highlighted Altria’s appeal as an income stock. Its cigarette and nicotine-pouch businesses generate cash to support the dividend, which contributed meaningfully to shareholder returns over the past year. Other coverage described MO as potentially undervalued based on cash flow and attractive for retirement-income portfolios, despite the stock’s longer-term lag versus the S&P 500. Do Altria's Dividends Make Up For A Lagging Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Altria was included among high-yield consumer-staples and dividend stocks viewed as capable of generating reliable income, helping reinforce demand from yield-oriented investors. Generate $50,000 in Passive Income With the 5 Highest Yielding S&P 500 Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein retained a Hold rating, indicating neither a clear bullish nor bearish change in its view. Bernstein Keeps Their Hold Rating on Altria
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria will host a webcast covering its 2026 third-quarter and nine-month results. The event could become the next significant catalyst, particularly for updates on cigarette volumes, smoke-free products, earnings guidance and dividend capacity. Altria to Host Webcast of 2026 Third-Quarter and Nine-Months Results
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MO, creating near-term technical pressure. Separately, MarketWatch noted that Altria’s gain lagged those of competitors, limiting its relative strength. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Altria

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. The trade was a 1.32% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.7%

NYSE:MO opened at $75.13 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.42. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $1.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is 93.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MO. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based consumer products company focused primarily on tobacco, nicotine and related products. Through its operating companies, Altria sells cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, oral tobacco and nicotine products, and electronic vapor products.

Altria's principal cigarette business is Philip Morris USA, whose portfolio includes Marlboro, Parliament and Virginia Slims. Its other major brands include Copenhagen and Skoal moist smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, on! nicotine pouches and NJOY electronic cigarettes.

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