Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 287,648 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its Altria stake by 7.6% in the second quarter, acquiring 287,648 shares and bringing its holdings to 4.08 million shares valued at approximately $293.5 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: five analysts rate Altria a Buy, four a Hold and two a Sell, producing a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $70.11.
• Altria shares opened at $65.87, down 1.6%, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.48, slightly below estimates, while revenue of $5.36 billion narrowly exceeded expectations.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 7.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,079,665 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 287,648 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.24% of Altria Group worth $293,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 5.8% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company's stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company's stock valued at $821,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC now owns 11,920 shares of the company's stock worth $858,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 23,324 shares of the company's stock worth $1,678,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MO. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of MO opened at $65.87 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.81. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $77.06. The stock has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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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