Engineers Gate Manager LP Sells 85,859 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Engineers Gate Manager LP reduced its Altria stake by 60.9% in the second quarter, selling 85,859 shares and retaining 55,173 shares valued at approximately $3.97 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of Altria.
• Altria raised its quarterly dividend from $1.06 to $1.11 per share, equivalent to an annualized $4.44 dividend and a 6.4% yield. The company’s latest quarterly revenue rose 1.2% year over year, although EPS of $1.48 fell short of estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $70.11 price target. While the stock is supported by its high yield and resilient smokeable-products business, declining oral-tobacco revenue and the need to expand smoke-free products remain concerns.

Engineers Gate Manager LP cut its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 60.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,173 shares of the company's stock after selling 85,859 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP's holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,970,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 86.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company's stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Altria Group by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company's stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,752,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Director Kathryn B. McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of Altria at an average price of $67.62, increasing her direct holdings by 1.32%. The roughly $101,000 insider purchase may signal confidence that the stock’s valuation and dividend remain attractive. SEC insider transaction filing
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investment coverage continues to highlight MO as an income-oriented stock, citing its multidecade record of dividend increases, approximately 6%-plus yield, and relatively attractive valuation. Those features may support demand from retirement and dividend-focused investors. Dividend streak article
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary says Altria and other tobacco companies are responding to declining cigarette volumes and rising costs by expanding smoke-free products and adapting to changing consumer preferences. The strategy offers long-term growth potential, but execution and category adoption remain important risks. Tobacco industry dynamics article
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha downgraded Altria to Hold, citing technical consolidation below its 50-day moving average and mixed second-quarter results. Smokeable products remained resilient, but oral tobacco revenue fell 5.2% year over year, raising concerns about growth momentum despite the stock’s low forward valuation and high yield. Altria rating downgrade article

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $69.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $115.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $69.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.11.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is a boost from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn B. Mcquade purchased 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. The trade was a 1.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc NYSE: MO is a tobacco and nicotine company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Through its operating companies, Altria develops, manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, oral tobacco products, nicotine pouches and electronic vaping products, with its business focused primarily on the United States.

Altria's smokeable products portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, which are manufactured and marketed in the U.S. by Philip Morris USA, as well as Black & Mild cigars through John Middleton.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.