43,485 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Purchased by Hayek Kallen Investment Management

Hayek Kallen Investment Management purchased a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 43,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,129,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $631,606,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in 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. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $349,743,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $67.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $112.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.95. 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 data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

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.