Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 167,609 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 124.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 302,316 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 167,609 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Altria Group were worth $17,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 117,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,747,000 after purchasing an additional 1,866 shares during the period. Conning Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 411,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,755,000 after buying an additional 45,800 shares in the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 226,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,049,000 after buying an additional 2,025 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 57,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,335,000 after acquiring an additional 2,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:MO opened at $73.67 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.11.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

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.