Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc. Purchases Shares of 9,867 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Pacific Excel Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $710,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth 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 lifted 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 worth $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted 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 worth $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,752,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $68.04 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $71.52 and its 200-day moving average is $68.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.61 billion, a PE ratio of 14.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The business had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 89.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.