Amundi Raises Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Amundi increased its Altria stake by 9.9% in the second quarter, adding 112,341 shares to own 1.25 million shares valued at approximately $90.1 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 57.41% of Altria’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with five Buy, four Hold and two Sell ratings, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $70.11.
• Altria raised its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, representing an annualized payout of $4.44 and a 6.5% yield. Its latest earnings slightly missed estimates, though quarterly revenue rose 1.2% year over year to $5.36 billion.

Amundi lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 9.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,252,381 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 112,341 shares during the period. Amundi owned about 0.08% of Altria Group worth $90,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company's stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company's stock worth $821,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the second quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC now owns 11,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $858,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.7% during the second quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 23,324 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,678,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. UBS Group raised their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Five equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $67.88 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $77.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $69.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 analysts' expectations 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is a boost 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 dividend yield of 6.5%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.45%.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc NYSE: MO is a tobacco and nicotine company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Through its operating companies, Altria develops, manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, oral tobacco products, nicotine pouches and electronic vaping products, with its business focused primarily on the United States.

Altria's smokeable products portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, which are manufactured and marketed in the U.S. by Philip Morris USA, as well as Black & Mild cigars through John Middleton.

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