Weiss Asset Management LP Buys Shares of 65,373 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 65,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,314,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cypress Capital Group grew its holdings in Altria Group by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 75,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,953,000 after acquiring an additional 2,247 shares during the period. Van Diest Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at $380,000. Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 21.6% in the 1st quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 95,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,278,000 after purchasing an additional 16,877 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 22,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,510,000 after purchasing an additional 4,260 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth $250,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.78.

Key Altria Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Altria is approaching earnings with expectations for higher revenue and year-over-year EPS growth, which supports the case for continued fundamental strength. Altria Group (MO) Nears Earnings, Is The Recent Rally Already Priced In?
• Positive Sentiment: The stock has outperformed over the past year, helped by a strong year-to-date gain and solid total shareholder return, reinforcing momentum around the name. Altria Group (MO) Nears Earnings, Is The Recent Rally Already Priced In?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple pre-earnings previews say investors should not assume a blowout report, noting Altria does not appear to have the strongest setup for an earnings beat. Altria (MO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares are being compared with consumer staples peers, with coverage suggesting the stock’s relative performance is a key focus rather than a major new catalyst. Is Altria Group (MO) Stock Outpacing Its Consumer Staples Peers This Year?
• Negative Sentiment: One analyst report downgraded Altria, arguing that the stock’s strong outperformance has made it look expensive, which could pressure valuation sentiment. Altria: Outperformance Makes It Pricey (Rating Downgrade)

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $72.96 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $75.28. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $71.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.83. The company has a market capitalization of $121.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 is presently 88.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.