National Pension Service Raises Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its stake in Altria Group by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with nearly 4.9 million shares valued at about $282.3 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to their positions, and 57.41% of Altria’s stock is now held by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Analysts remain divided on MO: the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” with an average price target of $70.44, while Altria also reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and reaffirmed a dividend yielding about 5.9%.

National Pension Service increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,895,679 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 179,420 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.29% of Altria Group worth $282,285,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,926,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 35,698 shares of company stock valued at $2,449,191 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $71.94 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $68.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.98. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $120.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

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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