Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Decreases Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services Co. reduced its Altria stake by 15.6% in the second quarter, selling 234,140 shares and retaining 1.26 million shares valued at approximately $91.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of Altria.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with five Buy, four Hold and two Sell ratings; the consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $70.11.
• Altria recently reported quarterly revenue of $5.36 billion, slightly above estimates, while EPS of $1.48 missed expectations by $0.02. Shares opened at $64.03, compared with a 52-week range of $54.70 to $77.06.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 15.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,262,056 shares of the company's stock after selling 234,140 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 0.08% of Altria Group worth $91,593,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% during the second quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,849 shares of the company's stock worth $1,788,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% in the second quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,289 shares of the company's stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Stirlingshire Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 29.0% in the second quarter. Stirlingshire Investments Inc. now owns 14,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,073,000 after buying an additional 3,304 shares in the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,181 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,164,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the period. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 31,908 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,296,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $64.03 on Tuesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06. The firm has a market cap of $106.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.46. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $70.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.74.

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 business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Altria Group Profile

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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