MQS Management LLC Invests $631,000 in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 10,938 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $631,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $73.95 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.51. The company has a market cap of $123.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.47, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted 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 business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America upped their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.