ProShare Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, holding 308,725 shares worth about $17.8 million after buying 25,128 more shares.
• Altria reported strong quarterly results, posting earnings of $1.32 per share versus the $1.25 consensus and revenue of $4.76 billion, which topped expectations and rose 5.3% year over year.
• The company reaffirmed its dividend appeal with a quarterly payout of $1.06 per share, equal to an annualized $4.24 dividend and a 5.8% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $69.33 price target.

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 308,725 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,128 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $17,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company's stock valued at $295,929,000 after buying an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake 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 period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $89,460,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.8%

MO stock opened at $73.37 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $122.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.35, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.31. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm'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 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Altria Group's payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MO. Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Barclays raised their price target on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $69.33.

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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