TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. Purchases 40,086 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Key Points

• TD Waterhouse Canada increased its Altria position by 36.1% in the second quarter, purchasing 40,086 shares and bringing its holdings to 151,000 shares valued at approximately $10.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.41% of Altria.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with five Buy, four Hold, and two Sell ratings. The stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $70.11.
• Altria raised its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, equivalent to an annualized $4.44 dividend and a 6.5% yield. The company slightly missed quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.48 versus the $1.50 consensus, while revenue reached $5.36 billion.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 36.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 151,000 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 40,086 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s holdings in Altria Group were worth $10,806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $631,606,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company's stock worth $3,777,931,000 after acquiring an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $349,743,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MO shares. UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays lowered their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of MO opened at $68.80 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $77.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50 day moving average of $69.82 and a 200-day moving average of $69.07.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $1.11 dividend. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 93.67%.

Altria Group 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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