BlackRock Inc. Increases Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 126,073,166 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,325,175 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. owned about 7.55% of Altria Group worth $9,070,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MO. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 59.3% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,569,000 after buying an additional 14,490 shares during the last quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $3,336,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 206.7% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company's stock worth $4,358,000 after purchasing an additional 50,931 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $65.87 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $77.06. The firm has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.46. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $70.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.81.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.11.

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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