Blue Capital Inc. Acquires New Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Blue Capital Inc. bought a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 18,816 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,354,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company's stock worth $3,777,931,000 after acquiring an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3,691.2% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company's stock worth $259,492,000 after acquiring an additional 3,511,430 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,929,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321,262 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 301.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $139,315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,224 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $65.87 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.86. The stock has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The business had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on MO. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. 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. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.11.

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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