FCG Investment Co Makes New $1.24 Million Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• FCG Investment Co made a new investment of approximately $1.24 million in Altria Group, purchasing 21,091 shares during the second quarter.
• Altria Group reported a quarterly EPS of $1.44, exceeding analysts' expectations, and established a new quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share.
• Analysts have varying views on Altria Group, with target prices ranging from $50.00 to $72.00, reflecting a mix of ratings including "buy," "hold," and "sell."

FCG Investment Co purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 21,091 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,237,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at $68,000. Copia Wealth Management bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at $62,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 17,577 shares of the company's stock valued at $919,000 after acquiring an additional 1,882 shares during the period. Finally, 111 Capital bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at $795,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MO stock opened at $65.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.59. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.86 and a twelve month high of $68.60. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $64.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.60.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upgraded Altria Group from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the company from $47.00 to $59.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $60.88.

Altria Group Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.