Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. reduced its stake by 7.5%, selling 16,380 shares in Q4 and leaving 202,292 Altria shares worth about $11.66 million.
• Altria beat Q1 revenue and EPS and reaffirmed FY2026 guidance, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.06 (annualized $4.24) for a yield of about 5.7% despite a payout ratio above 100%.
• Insider sale: SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares at ~$67.57 (≈$1.89M), trimming his position by 13.37% while still holding 180,869 shares.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lessened its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 7.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 202,292 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,380 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $11,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock worth $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,285,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,543,000 after purchasing an additional 59,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company's stock worth $842,122,000 after purchasing an additional 132,846 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company's stock worth $801,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat and guidance intact — Altria topped revenue and EPS estimates, cited pricing and cost controls as drivers, and reconfirmed FY2026 EPS guidance, a key reason investors are buying the stock. Altria beats quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Stifel raised its price target to $77 and kept a Buy rating, signaling incremental analyst confidence that supports the rally. Stifel raises PT to $77
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley highlights solid profit momentum and visibility from Altria’s pricing and portfolio; that institutional endorsement helped market sentiment. Morgan Stanley bullish note
• Positive Sentiment: Index/momentum attention — coverage noting an “S&P 500 moment” and recent share-price momentum has likely attracted passive and momentum flows into MO. Altria’s S&P 500 Moment
• Positive Sentiment: Income appeal — MO continues to be featured in low-risk/dividend lists, reinforcing demand from income-focused investors. Low-risk investment list
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $70 but kept a Neutral rating — signal of modestly improved fundamentals but still cautious relative to current levels. Citigroup PT update
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate housekeeping: Altria will webcast its 2026 annual meeting — routine disclosure, minimal immediate price impact but relevant for shareholder engagement. Webcast of annual meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/momentum checks — analysts and media note strong 1‑year and 3‑month returns and mixed earnings expectations; market is re-pricing income story vs. growth risks. Valuation check
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/inflation caution — some analysts warn inflation and macro uncertainty increase downside risk despite the dividend and pricing power; a few commentators downgraded or advocated caution. Inflation and macro risk concerns

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.63.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $74.37 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $66.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.68. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. The firm'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.62 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.16%.

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.

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.