Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 944.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 78,046 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 70,573 shares during the quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 84.1% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 30,632 shares of the company's stock worth $1,602,000 after buying an additional 13,991 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Altria Group by 59.1% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 171,727 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,805,000 after purchasing an additional 63,781 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,742,000. Finally, Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 5,018 shares of the company's stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,043 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO traded up $0.17 during trading on Thursday, reaching $66.40. The stock had a trading volume of 10,018,628 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,003,779. The company has a market cap of $111.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.84, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.59. The business's 50-day moving average price is $63.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.94. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.86 and a fifty-two week high of $68.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.21 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.24% and a negative return on equity of 295.26%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. Analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. This is a boost from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on MO shares. 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 report on Friday, August 22nd. Needham & Company LLC raised shares of Altria Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.