Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 15,728 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 665,297 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,728 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $38,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Verity & Verity LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Verity & Verity LLC now owns 316,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,229,000 after purchasing an additional 7,323 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 39,696 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,289,000 after buying an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 10,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $592,000 after buying an additional 891 shares in the last quarter. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 114.0% during the fourth quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 68,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,968,000 after buying an additional 36,664 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related 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 value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 35,698 shares of company stock valued at $2,449,191 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $69.63 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $116.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.21 and a 200-day moving average of $64.07. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 88.70%.

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.