Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stock: TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. Raises Stake

Key Points

• TD Waterhouse Canada increased its Altria stake by 14.1% in the third quarter, adding 21,234 shares to hold 172,234 shares worth approximately $11.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of Altria.
• Altria reported quarterly EPS of $1.48, slightly below the $1.50 consensus, while revenue rose 1.2% year over year to $5.36 billion. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $5.61–$5.72.
• The quarterly dividend increased to $1.11 per share, or $4.44 annualized, producing a 5.9% yield; however, the 93.67% payout ratio remains high. Analyst sentiment is mixed, with an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $70.11.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 14.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 172,234 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 21,234 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $11,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 0.9% during the third quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 141,558 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,533,000 after buying an additional 1,289 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 5.1% in the third quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 3,587 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Aspiriant LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 5,874 shares of the company's stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. now owns 16,372 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 111,485 shares of the company's stock worth $7,507,000 after acquiring an additional 11,666 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Altria Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained a $79 price target for Altria, implying additional potential upside from recent levels and signaling continued confidence in the tobacco company’s outlook. UBS reiterates USD 79.00 target for Altria Group stock
• Positive Sentiment: Several investor-focused reports highlighted Altria’s appeal as an income stock. Its cigarette and nicotine-pouch businesses generate cash to support the dividend, which contributed meaningfully to shareholder returns over the past year. Other coverage described MO as potentially undervalued based on cash flow and attractive for retirement-income portfolios, despite the stock’s longer-term lag versus the S&P 500. Do Altria's Dividends Make Up For A Lagging Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Altria was included among high-yield consumer-staples and dividend stocks viewed as capable of generating reliable income, helping reinforce demand from yield-oriented investors. Generate $50,000 in Passive Income With the 5 Highest Yielding S&P 500 Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein retained a Hold rating, indicating neither a clear bullish nor bearish change in its view. Bernstein Keeps Their Hold Rating on Altria
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria will host a webcast covering its 2026 third-quarter and nine-month results. The event could become the next significant catalyst, particularly for updates on cigarette volumes, smoke-free products, earnings guidance and dividend capacity. Altria to Host Webcast of 2026 Third-Quarter and Nine-Months Results
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MO, creating near-term technical pressure. Separately, MarketWatch noted that Altria’s gain lagged those of competitors, limiting its relative strength. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Altria

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 114,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $75.13 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $125.44 billion, a PE ratio of 15.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.42. The company's fifty day moving average is $68.63 and its 200 day moving average is $69.64. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during 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%. Altria Group's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $1.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. Altria Group's payout ratio is 93.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MO shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Barclays cut their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Freedom Broker upgraded Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.11.

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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