SVB Wealth LLC Boosts Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• SVB Wealth LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 31% in the fourth quarter, ending with 66,352 shares valued at about $3.83 million.
• Altria reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $1.32 per share versus the $1.25 estimate and revenue of $4.76 billion, up 5.3% year over year. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance of 5.56 to 5.72.
• The stock continues to offer a high dividend yield, with a quarterly payout of $1.06 per share and an annualized yield of 6.2%. Analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold, with an average price target of $69.22.

SVB Wealth LLC grew its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 31.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 66,352 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,689 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC's holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,826,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $68.11 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $113.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average of $66.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.77. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group's revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other 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 transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $69.22.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.