LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 101.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 118,495 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,555 shares during the quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MO. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price target on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO traded up $0.19 on Friday, hitting $71.78. 7,334,373 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,513,980. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $71.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.74. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The firm has a market cap of $119.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly 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. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period last 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. On average, research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.