Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Atlas Capital Advisors opened a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter, buying 13,953 shares valued at about $805,000.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their stakes, and institutions now own 57.41% of Altria’s shares. Meanwhile, two directors recently sold stock, trimming their holdings by about 7% each.
• Analysts are mixed on MO, with an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $70.44. Altria also reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and declared a $1.06 quarterly dividend, yielding about 5.9%.

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 13,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $805,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $797,587,000 after buying an additional 814,665 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company's stock worth $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Altria Group by 3.2% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company's stock worth $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Altria Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company's stock worth $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MO. Citigroup upped their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays upped their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $71.83 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $69.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.98. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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 research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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