Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Raises Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its Altria Group stake by 198.9% in the fourth quarter, lifting its holdings to 56,318 shares valued at about $3.25 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 57.41% of Altria shares; several big firms, including Vanguard and Ameriprise, also added to their positions.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.32 and revenue of $4.76 billion, and it continues to offer a sizable dividend, with an annualized yield of 5.9%.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 198.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 56,318 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 37,477 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock worth $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 59,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in 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 buying an additional 132,846 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $801,412,000 after acquiring an additional 47,757 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company's 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 directly owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $71.54 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $119.47 billion, a PE ratio of 14.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $66.85 and a 200-day moving average of $62.92.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group's payout ratio is 88.70%.

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.

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