Prudential PLC Purchases 16,384 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Prudential PLC lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 66.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,932 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,384 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after acquiring an additional 25,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares during the period. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,203,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MO. Citigroup boosted their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $72.32 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $68.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.50. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The company has a market cap of $120.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 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.