Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Takes Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. has made a new investment in Altria Group, purchasing 18,005 shares valued at approximately $1,081,000.
• Analysts have recently upgraded Altria's rating, with UBS Group raising it to "neutral" and adjusting the price target from $47 to $59.
• Altria Group announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.06 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $4.24 and a yield of 6.3%.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 18,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,081,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vista Investment Partners II LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Vista Investment Partners II LLC now owns 4,302 shares of the company's stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.9% during the first quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 9,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $567,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Patten & Patten Inc. TN now owns 12,049 shares of the company's stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,762 shares of the company's stock valued at $406,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 4,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $283,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE MO traded down $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.09. 6,916,777 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,040,958. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.86 and a fifty-two week high of $68.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.59. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $61.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.41.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is 82.01%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on MO shares. UBS Group upgraded Altria Group from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the company from $47.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America increased their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.