Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Increases Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 66,214 shares and bringing its total to 572,546 shares worth about $33.0 million.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $1.32 EPS on revenue of $4.76 billion, both above analyst estimates, and raised its FY 2026 guidance to 5.56–5.72 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying an annualized yield of 5.9%, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $70.44.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 572,546 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 66,214 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $33,013,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 71,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,122,000 after buying an additional 11,202 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Altria Group by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 874,549 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,426,000 after buying an additional 51,486 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 567,802 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,739,000 after buying an additional 14,697 shares during the last quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 11,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $699,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 685,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,520,000 after buying an additional 1,903 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE:MO opened at $72.32 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $68.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $120.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on MO. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the 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 transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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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