LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 21,476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,545,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 3,691.2% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,492,000 after buying an additional 3,511,430 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,929,000 after buying an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in Altria Group by 301.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,315,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,224 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

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

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $65.87 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $70.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.