Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Increases Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 917,989 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 29,087 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Altria Group worth $60,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 438.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after buying an additional 2,962,270 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $73.73 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The company has a market cap of $123.13 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.83.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. 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 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted 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, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value 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 trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Company 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.