Royal Palms Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 15,370 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• Royal Palms Capital LLC opened a new position in Altria Group, buying 15,370 shares worth about $886,000 in the fourth quarter. The stake makes MO about 1.1% of the firm’s holdings.
• Altria continues to draw significant institutional interest, with large holders like Vanguard, Ameriprise, and Northern Trust increasing positions; overall, institutions own 57.41% of the stock.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results and maintained FY2026 EPS guidance, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, implying a 5.9% yield.

Royal Palms Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 15,370 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $886,000. Altria Group accounts for about 1.1% of Royal Palms Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 19.4% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Altria Group by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,543,000 after buying an additional 59,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.1% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company's stock valued at $842,122,000 after buying an additional 132,846 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in Altria Group by 0.4% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $801,412,000 after buying an additional 47,757 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on MO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $72.41 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $67.93 and a 200 day moving average of $63.78. The company has a market capitalization of $120.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.15, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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