PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co Purchases New Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• PKO Investment Management acquired a new stake of 30,803 Altria shares in Q4, valued at about $1.78 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 57.41% of the company.
• Altria beat Q1 estimates with $1.32 EPS (vs. $1.25) and $4.76B revenue, reconfirmed FY2026 guidance of $5.560–$5.72 EPS, and saw analyst price‑target upgrades even as the consensus rating remains a "Hold" with an average target of $69.63.
• Dividend and insider moves: The company paid a $1.06 quarterly dividend (about a 5.7% yield) but has a 103.16% payout ratio, and SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares (~$1.89M), reducing his stake by 13.37%.

PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 30,803 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,776,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kercheville Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.7% during the third quarter. Kercheville Advisors LLC now owns 4,397 shares of the company's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holdings in Altria Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 50,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,356,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its stake in Altria Group by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 1,166 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zullo Investment Group Inc. raised its stake in Altria Group by 2.4% during the third quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 7,386 shares of the company's stock valued at $488,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group upped their price target on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $69.63.

Altria Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat and guidance intact — Altria topped revenue and EPS estimates, cited pricing and cost controls as drivers, and reconfirmed FY2026 EPS guidance, a key reason investors are buying the stock. Altria beats quarterly profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Stifel raised its price target to $77 and kept a Buy rating, signaling incremental analyst confidence that supports the rally. Stifel raises PT to $77
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley highlights solid profit momentum and visibility from Altria’s pricing and portfolio; that institutional endorsement helped market sentiment. Morgan Stanley bullish note
• Positive Sentiment: Index/momentum attention — coverage noting an “S&P 500 moment” and recent share-price momentum has likely attracted passive and momentum flows into MO. Altria’s S&P 500 Moment
• Positive Sentiment: Income appeal — MO continues to be featured in low-risk/dividend lists, reinforcing demand from income-focused investors. Low-risk investment list
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $70 but kept a Neutral rating — signal of modestly improved fundamentals but still cautious relative to current levels. Citigroup PT update
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate housekeeping: Altria will webcast its 2026 annual meeting — routine disclosure, minimal immediate price impact but relevant for shareholder engagement. Webcast of annual meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/momentum checks — analysts and media note strong 1‑year and 3‑month returns and mixed earnings expectations; market is re-pricing income story vs. growth risks. Valuation check
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/inflation caution — some analysts warn inflation and macro uncertainty increase downside risk despite the dividend and pricing power; a few commentators downgraded or advocated caution. Inflation and macro risk concerns

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $74.37 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $66.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.67. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $124.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business's revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.16%.

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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