Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stock Holdings Raised by Gradient Investments LLC

Key Points

• Gradient Investments increased its Altria stake by 9.4% in the third quarter to 257,036 shares valued at approximately $17.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of Altria stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with five Buy, five Hold, and two Sell ratings; the consensus rating is Hold with a target price of $70.11.
• Altria raised its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, equivalent to a $4.44 annual payout and a 6.2% yield. The company’s latest quarterly EPS of $1.48 slightly missed estimates, while revenue rose 1.2% year over year to $5.36 billion.

Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 9.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 257,036 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,125 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $17,309,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kaydan Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Altria Group by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kaydan Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,545 shares of the company's stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,647 shares of the company's stock valued at $448,000 after buying an additional 1,752 shares in the last quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC now owns 7,871 shares of the company's stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 28,221 shares of the company's stock worth $1,900,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 123,638 shares of the company's stock worth $8,326,000 after acquiring an additional 7,520 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on MO. UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays cut their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn McQuade bought 1,500 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 114,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 3.0%

Altria Group stock opened at $71.47 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.32. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $77.06. The company has a market capitalization of $119.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 93.67%.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria's principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.

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