Vise Technologies Inc. Grows Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 43.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 112,883 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 34,163 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $6,509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Altria Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in Altria Group by 13.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Altria Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the third quarter worth about $1,203,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $72.32 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MO. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

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.