HUB Investment Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• HUB Investment Partners increased its Altria stake by 25% in the second quarter, purchasing 19,643 additional shares for a total of 98,330 shares valued at approximately $7.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains significant, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 57.41% of Altria’s stock; several large investors also expanded their positions.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and $70.11 target price. Altria’s latest quarterly EPS of $1.48 slightly missed estimates, while revenue rose 1.2% year over year to $5.36 billion.

HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 98,330 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,643 shares during the quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,075,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company's stock worth $3,777,931,000 after acquiring an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 3,691.2% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,492,000 after acquiring an additional 3,511,430 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in Altria Group by 301.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company's stock worth $139,315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,224 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MO. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $64.03 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $106.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $77.06. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.74.

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

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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