Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon increased its Altria stake by 1.0% in the first quarter, ending with 12.93 million shares worth about $853.2 million.
• Altria posted solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.32 beating estimates and revenue of $4.76 billion topping forecasts; it also raised FY 2026 EPS guidance to 5.56–5.72.
• The company continues to offer a large dividend, paying $1.06 per share quarterly for an annualized yield of about 5.8%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average target of $70.78.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,929,142 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 133,676 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.77% of Altria Group worth $853,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.78.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $73.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $71.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.16.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's payout ratio is 88.70%.

Altria Group Profile

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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