Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 13,832 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 276,969 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 13,832 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $15,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. 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. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,698 shares of company stock valued at $2,449,191. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE MO opened at $69.63 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.21 and a 200-day moving average of $64.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

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.