Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Purchases 14,588 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Empirical Wealth Management increased its Altria Group stake by 4.2% in the first quarter, buying 14,588 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 359,259 shares worth about $23.7 million.
• Altria recently beat Wall Street estimates on both earnings and revenue, reporting $1.32 EPS versus $1.25 expected and $4.76 billion in revenue versus $4.58 billion expected. The company also reaffirmed FY2026 EPS guidance of 5.56 to 5.72.
• The stock carries a mixed analyst outlook: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $70.78, while some firms recently raised targets to $77 and others maintained bearish views. Altria also pays a quarterly dividend of $1.06, yielding about 5.9% annually.

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 359,259 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,588 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management's holdings in Altria Group were worth $23,710,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company's stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company's stock worth $1,127,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 8,243 shares of the company's stock worth $475,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Patten Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.0% during the first quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 4,165 shares of the company's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,117 shares of the company's stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group 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 directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO opened at $71.93 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $71.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.89. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $120.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. Altria Group's payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

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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