Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Raises Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 205,333 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,128 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $14,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 5.8% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $821,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kanawha Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE MO opened at $65.72 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $109.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $70.83 and its 200-day moving average is $68.69. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm’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. Equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on MO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five investment 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 data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.