Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC Buys 68,984 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC increased its Altria stake by 82% in Q4, buying 68,984 shares to hold 153,130 shares worth $8.83 million.
• Altria pays a quarterly dividend of $1.06 (annualized $4.24) with a yield of 6.6%, but the payout ratio is 103.16%, raising questions about dividend sustainability.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is a Hold with a $65.88 consensus price target, while recent firm moves include both upward target revisions and downgrades.

Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 82.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 153,130 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 68,984 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $8,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,285,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172,753 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,543,000 after purchasing an additional 59,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company's stock worth $842,122,000 after purchasing an additional 132,846 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company's stock worth $801,412,000 after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position 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 worth $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Bank of America raised their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup raised their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.88.

Key Altria Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst tone turning more constructive — a Seeking Alpha piece argues Wall Street’s upgrade reflects renewed confidence in Altria’s pricing power, new products and market opportunities, suggesting upside versus prior overly‑pessimistic views. Altria: Wall Street Finally Came To Its Senses
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory/product progress — Altria is rolling out on! PLUS nicotine pouches nationwide after selection for the FDA’s fast‑track pilot for certain nicotine products, which supports the company’s smoke‑free growth narrative and could improve long‑term revenue mix if adoption scales. Altria’s on! PLUS Fast Track Launch Tests Smoke Free Growth Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings focus — preview coverage notes a modest expected rise in Q1 EPS; investors are watching top‑line trends (smokable volume vs. pricing/new product mix) for confirmation of guidance and margin stability. Earnings could swing sentiment in either direction. What to Expect From Altria Group’s Q1 2026 Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/short‑term technicals — market commentary highlights a recent pullback after a strong run; MO still yields in the high single digits and trades near its 50/200‑day averages, keeping income investors engaged but leaving limited upside for growth‑focused buyers. Assessing Altria Group (MO) Valuation After Recent Share Pullback And Mixed Short Term Returns
• Negative Sentiment: Dividends and growth concerns — a Seeking Alpha analysis warns Altria’s long Dividend King streak faces challenges as growth slows, flagging balance‑sheet and runway risks that could pressure the dividend narrative central to investor demand. That critique likely weighs on income‑focused holders. Very Bad News For Altria: This Dividend King Is Running Out Of Runway
• Negative Sentiment: Comparative risk vs. peers — analyst commentary and comparisons (e.g., vs. Philip Morris) highlight divergent fundamentals and the possibility that one dividend story is riskier than another, which can prompt reallocation away from MO among yield‑seeking portfolios. Altria vs. Philip Morris: One Dividend Is a Trap — Here's Which One to Avoid

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.8%

MO stock opened at $64.46 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $66.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.61. The firm has a market cap of $107.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.41. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $70.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The business's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

About Altria Group

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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