NFSG Corp Buys 32,257 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• NFSG Corp more than doubled its Altria stake in the first quarter, buying 32,257 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 58,828 shares valued at about $3.88 million.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.32 versus estimates of $1.25 and revenue of $4.76 billion, up 5.3% year over year.
• The company continues to offer a sizable dividend, recently paying $1.06 per share for a 6.0% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a Hold on average with a $70.78 price target.

NFSG Corp raised its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 121.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 58,828 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 32,257 shares during the period. NFSG Corp's holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,882,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock worth $11,647,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Altria Group by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company's stock worth $38,531,000 after acquiring an additional 44,267 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 438.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company's stock worth $209,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,962,270 shares during the last quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,438,000. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,336,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock opened at $70.21 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The company has a market cap of $117.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.45. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $71.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.97.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group's revenue for the quarter 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, analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on MO. Bank of America lifted their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.78.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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