Panagora Asset Management Inc. Acquires 1,641,384 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management dramatically increased its stake in Altria Group, buying 1,641,384 additional shares in the fourth quarter and lifting its holdings to 1,681,875 shares worth about $96.98 million.
• Altria reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.32 beating estimates and revenue of $4.76 billion also topping expectations; the company also raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to 5.56–5.72.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 5.9%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with an average price target of $70.44.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 4,053.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,681,875 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,641,384 shares during the quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. owned 0.10% of Altria Group worth $96,977,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock worth $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,275,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147,141 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company's stock worth $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company's stock worth $2,651,383,000 after purchasing an additional 729,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its position in Altria Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,306,173 shares of the company's stock worth $1,286,174,000 after purchasing an additional 335,089 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $71.83 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $74.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $69.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.98. The company has a market cap of $119.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.44.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business'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 value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Altria Group Company 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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