Pacer Advisors Inc. Trims Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,993,972 shares of the company’s stock after selling 829,618 shares during the period. Altria Group accounts for 0.7% of Pacer Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned 0.42% of Altria Group worth $461,532,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in Altria Group by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the period. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $3,336,000. Procyon Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 59.3% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after buying an additional 14,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 206.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,358,000 after buying an additional 50,931 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Altria Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Altria’s second-quarter adjusted EPS rose from $1.44 to $1.48 year over year, while revenue reached approximately $5.36 billion, slightly above analysts’ expectations. Higher cigarette pricing, particularly for Marlboro, helped offset declining shipment volumes. Altria Group Q2 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Fiscal 2026 Adjusted EPS Outlook Narrowed
• Positive Sentiment: The company highlighted expansion of its on! PLUS nicotine pouch brand to roughly 120,000 stores and continued investment in smoke-free products, supporting expectations for long-term category growth. Shareholder returns and resilient cash flow also remain attractive to income-focused investors. Altria Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Smoke-Free Growth Plans
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria narrowed its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $5.61-$5.72, broadly surrounding the analyst consensus of $5.68. The revised range offers some earnings visibility but suggests limited near-term upside without stronger volume or smoke-free growth. Altria Group Q2 Adjusted Earnings, Revenue Rise; Fiscal 2026 Adjusted EPS Outlook Narrowed
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter EPS of $1.48 missed the $1.50 consensus estimate. Cigarette volumes weakened as inflation encouraged some consumers to trade down from premium Marlboro products, while softer oral-tobacco sales and intensified nicotine-pouch competition pressured results. Altria Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, Cigarette Volumes Down
• Negative Sentiment: Levi & Korsinsky announced an investigation into whether Altria accurately described the FDA regulatory status of on! PLUS and the prospects for near-term authorization of additional applications. The inquiry adds potential legal and regulatory overhang to the stock. Altria Group Investigation Notice

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Five 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $68.46 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $114.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $77.06. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $71.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.37.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.45%.

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.