Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Invests $47.22 Million in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 656,331 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,223,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $462,000. Stonehage Fleming Financial Services Holdings Ltd bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $94,000. Blue Edge Capital LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $228,000. Jacobs Equity LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $282,000. Finally, Redwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $1,181,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in 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 upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research began coverage on Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE:MO opened at $67.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $77.06. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.95.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 89.45%.

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.