Centaurus Financial Inc. Acquires New Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Centaurus Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 17,827 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,283,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,531,000 after acquiring an additional 44,267 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 59.3% during the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 14,490 shares in the last quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $3,336,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 206.7% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,358,000 after purchasing an additional 50,931 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. 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 report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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 issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $67.66 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $70.11 and its 200 day moving average is $68.95. The firm has a market cap of $112.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results 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). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.45%.

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.