Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stock: Brighton Jones LLC Grows Stake

Key Points

• Brighton Jones LLC raised its Altria stake 67.2% in the third quarter, adding 25,460 shares to hold 63,345 shares valued at about $4.27 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of the stock.
• Altria’s latest quarter modestly beat expectations: EPS was $1.52 versus a $1.51 consensus, while revenue reached $5.44 billion, above the $5.31 billion estimate and up 1% year over year.
• Altria increased its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share—an annualized $4.44 and a stated 5.8% yield. Analysts’ consensus rating was Hold, with a $71.67 average price target.

Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 67.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,345 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,460 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,073,166 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,070,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,325,175 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $1,104,566,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.0% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,929,142 shares of the company's stock worth $853,194,000 after buying an additional 133,676 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter worth $631,606,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MO. Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Altria Group from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $71.67.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:MO opened at $76.08 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $79.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $71.38 and a 200 day moving average of $69.15.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.51% and a negative return on equity of 330.66%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 91.74%.

Altria Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Altria reported third-quarter 2026 sales of $5.441 billion, net income of $2.518 billion and continuing-operations EPS of $1.51. The company also extended its long-running dividend-increase streak, continued share repurchases and pointed to growth in its on! nicotine pouch brand—supporting the case for earnings and cash returns. Are Strong Earnings Altering The Investment Case For Altria Stock (MO)?
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted MO’s high shareholder yield and appeal to investors seeking defensive income amid market volatility. One characterized the stock as trading in a buy zone as investors rotated toward consumer staples. Meet the High-Yield Dividend Stock Quietly Crushing the S&P 500 4 Stocks With Solid Shareholder Yields to Buy Amid US Market Decline Altria Stock Trades In Buy Zone As Investors Shift To Defense
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether Altria’s dividend adequately compensates investors for its share-price risks highlights the need to weigh income against potential capital returns. The supplied article summary does not detail a new company-specific concern. Is Altria's Dividend Enough To Make Up For Its Share Price?

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based tobacco and nicotine company whose businesses focus primarily on the domestic market. Its products include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, oral nicotine products and e-vapor products.

Altria's portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, made by Philip Morris USA; Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco products, made by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and products from John Middleton and Helix Innovations. The company also owns NJOY, an e-vapor brand.

The company was established as Philip Morris Companies Inc and adopted the Altria name in 2003.

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