IFP Advisors Inc Acquires 199,318 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 408.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 248,166 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 199,318 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $16,711,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MO. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 78.8% in the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 524 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 110.9% in the 2nd quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 93.4% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 671 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on MO shares. BTIG Research began coverage on Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Freedom Broker raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

Key Altria Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained a $79 price target for Altria, implying additional potential upside from recent levels and signaling continued confidence in the tobacco company’s outlook. UBS reiterates USD 79.00 target for Altria Group stock
• Positive Sentiment: Several investor-focused reports highlighted Altria’s appeal as an income stock. Its cigarette and nicotine-pouch businesses generate cash to support the dividend, which contributed meaningfully to shareholder returns over the past year. Other coverage described MO as potentially undervalued based on cash flow and attractive for retirement-income portfolios, despite the stock’s longer-term lag versus the S&P 500. Do Altria’s Dividends Make Up For A Lagging Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Altria was included among high-yield consumer-staples and dividend stocks viewed as capable of generating reliable income, helping reinforce demand from yield-oriented investors. Generate $50,000 in Passive Income With the 5 Highest Yielding S&P 500 Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein retained a Hold rating, indicating neither a clear bullish nor bearish change in its view. Bernstein Keeps Their Hold Rating on Altria
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria will host a webcast covering its 2026 third-quarter and nine-month results. The event could become the next significant catalyst, particularly for updates on cigarette volumes, smoke-free products, earnings guidance and dividend capacity. Altria to Host Webcast of 2026 Third-Quarter and Nine-Months Results
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MO, creating near-term technical pressure. Separately, MarketWatch noted that Altria’s gain lagged those of competitors, limiting its relative strength. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Altria

Altria Group Trading Up 1.7%

MO opened at $75.13 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $68.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.62. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06. The stock has a market cap of $125.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 93.67%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based consumer products company focused primarily on tobacco, nicotine and related products. Through its operating companies, Altria sells cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, oral tobacco and nicotine products, and electronic vapor products.

Altria’s principal cigarette business is Philip Morris USA, whose portfolio includes Marlboro, Parliament and Virginia Slims. Its other major brands include Copenhagen and Skoal moist smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, on! nicotine pouches and NJOY electronic cigarettes.