Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Brookstone Capital Management

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: Brookstone Capital Management raised its Altria stake by 16.2% to 128,246 shares valued at $8.64 million. Hedge funds and other institutions collectively own 57.41% of the stock.
• Analyst outlook is mixed: Altria has five Buy, five Hold and two Sell ratings, resulting in an overall “Hold” consensus and an average price target of $70.11.
• Dividend appeal remains high, but risks persist: Altria increased its quarterly dividend to $1.11, implying a 6.0% yield, while its 93.67% payout ratio and declining cigarette volumes leave limited room for reinvestment and add pressure if earnings weaken.

Brookstone Capital Management increased its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 16.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 128,246 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,889 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management's holdings in Altria Group were worth $8,636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 7.0% in the third quarter. Legacy Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,160 shares of the company's stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. NBT Bank N.A. purchased a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at $2,923,000. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 8,883 shares of the company's stock valued at $598,000 after buying an additional 2,542 shares in the last quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 45,328 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,052,000 after buying an additional 5,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 257,599 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,347,000 after buying an additional 6,928 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Freedom Broker raised shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, October 12th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Down 2.2%

NYSE MO opened at $74.38 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $77.06. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $69.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.93. The stock has a market cap of $124.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $1.11 dividend. This is a boost from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 93.67%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Altria Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Altria to benefit from favorable earnings comparisons and estimates, raising the possibility of an earnings beat in the upcoming report. A stronger-than-expected result could support the stock and reinforce fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $5.61–$5.72. Altria (MO) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Altria extended its $3 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility by one year to October 2030. The unchanged terms preserve a substantial liquidity backstop and provide flexibility for working capital, capital allocation and shareholder returns ahead of earnings. Earnings Beat Hopes Could Matter For Altria Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria remains popular with income-focused investors because of its roughly 5.7% yield, repeated dividend increases and long-term total returns driven primarily by distributions rather than share-price appreciation. This may attract defensive investors, particularly when cash flows remain resilient. Altria’s Stock Has a Surprising 10-Year Return
• Negative Sentiment: Altria pays out approximately 89.3% of earnings as dividends. While the payout supports the stock’s income appeal, the limited earnings retained for reinvestment leaves less cushion if cigarette volumes decline, regulatory pressures increase or earnings weaken. Altria Pays Out 89.3% of Its Earnings as Dividends
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term concerns remain over shrinking cigarette volumes, previous write-downs and Altria’s weaker position in smoke-free products. Those structural risks may be weighing on the shares even as investors await a potentially favorable quarterly update.

Altria Group Company 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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