Conning Inc. Has $23.76 Million Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Conning Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 12.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 411,983 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,800 shares during the period. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $23,755,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MO. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after acquiring an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $5,752,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $72.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $120.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $66.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.97. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during 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 period in the previous year, the firm 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 anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their price target 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is 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.