Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 12.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 796,225 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 85,177 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $52,599,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.5% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,446,000 after acquiring an additional 6,302,819 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $126,471,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,364,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,923 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1,094.0% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,158,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,919,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061,413 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 212.1% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,358,342 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,640,000 after buying an additional 923,160 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.33.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.8%

MO stock opened at $54.72 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $58.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.54. The firm has a market cap of $91.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.47. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.08 and a 12 month high of $68.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.92%.

Altria Group announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.