Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Sei Investments Co.

Key Points

• Sei Investments Co. increased its Altria Group stake by 15.1% in the first quarter, buying 222,218 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 1,698,456 shares valued at about $112.1 million.
• Altria recently beat earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $1.32 EPS on $4.76 billion in revenue, while also raising its FY2026 guidance to 5.56–5.72 EPS.
• The company continues to appeal to income investors with a 5.9% dividend yield and a $1.06 quarterly payout, though analysts remain mixed with a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $70.78.

Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 15.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,698,456 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 222,218 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.10% of Altria Group worth $112,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Davis R M Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 1.5% in the first quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 13,706 shares of the company's stock valued at $909,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 7,198 shares of the company's stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. GSG Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $205,000. Wealthspire Retirement LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Wealthspire Retirement LLC now owns 5,343 shares of the company's stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Finally, Lavaca Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 640.8% in the 1st quarter. Lavaca Capital LLC now owns 7,734 shares of the company's stock worth $510,000 after purchasing an additional 6,690 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Altria Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Altria’s dividend profile continues to support the stock, with one recent analysis highlighting its attractive yield and relatively cheaper valuation versus consumer staples peers, which may keep income-focused buyers interested. Altria: Strong Dividend Yield, But Weaker Fundamentals
• Positive Sentiment: Another commentary argued Altria remains a “forever hold” for long-term investors, reinforcing the company’s appeal as a defensive, high-yield consumer staples name. Altria Group Is My 'Forever Hold'; Here's Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage compared Altria’s performance with other consumer staples names, but the updates were mostly screening-style commentary and do not appear to change the fundamental story for the stock. Is Altria Group (MO) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Staples Peers This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also focused on Altria’s upcoming earnings report, with recent previews saying revenue and earnings are expected to grow, but that the setup does not strongly favor a major earnings beat. Altria (MO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Negative Sentiment: One Seeking Alpha piece downgraded the stock, saying Altria’s strong recent outperformance has made the shares look expensive, which could pressure valuation-sensitive investors. Altria: Outperformance Makes It Pricey (Rating Downgrade)

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $72.08 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $75.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.71.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. The firm'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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. BTIG Research started coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.78.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, 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 transaction of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of 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 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.