Capital Investment Advisors LLC Buys 15,152 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Altria Group, purchasing an additional 15,152 shares and bringing its total holdings to 621,943 shares valued at $36.47 million.
• Altria Group recently reported earnings of $1.44 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.06 per share, equating to a 6.5% yield.
• Analysts from Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and UBS Group have recently adjusted their price targets and ratings for Altria, indicating mixed outlooks for the stock, with current consensus rating of "Hold."

Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 621,943 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,152 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $36,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 226.3% in the 1st quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $65.58 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $48.86 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The stock has a market cap of $110.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.68, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $64.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $60.73.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.21 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.24% and a negative return on equity of 295.26%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America lifted their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Altria Group from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $47.00 to $59.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $60.88.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

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