Atria Investments Inc Purchases 20,261 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Atria Investments Inc. increased its Altria Group stake by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 20,261 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 126,190 shares worth about $7.28 million.
• Analysts remain mixed on MO, with recent target hikes from firms like Stifel, BofA, and UBS, but Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock to Hold; the consensus rating is also Hold with an average target price of $69.33.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.32 per share and revenue of $4.76 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying a 5.8% yield.

Atria Investments Inc grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 19.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 126,190 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,261 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc's holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock worth $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company's stock worth $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake 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 period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Altria Group by 3.2% in the 3rd 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, Peterson Wealth Services bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,926,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE MO opened at $73.06 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $122.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's 50 day moving average is $67.02 and its 200 day moving average is $63.05.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Altria Group Company 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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