Qsemble Capital Management LP Acquires 38,345 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Qsemble Capital Management boosted its Altria stake by 392% in the fourth quarter, adding 38,345 shares and bringing its total holdings to 48,126 shares valued at about $2.8 million.
• Altria reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.32 versus $1.25 expected and revenue of $4.76 billion versus $4.58 billion expected, while also raising FY 2026 guidance to 5.56-5.72 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.06, payable July 10, implying an annualized dividend of $4.24 and a yield of 5.8% at the time of the report.

Qsemble Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 392.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 48,126 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 38,345 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP's holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 79.0% in the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on MO shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $69.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company'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 value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.9%

Altria Group stock opened at $73.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The company has a 50 day moving average of $67.02 and a 200-day moving average of $63.05.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

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

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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