GSA Capital Partners LLP Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 13,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Cowa LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 13.8% in the second quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 6,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in Altria Group by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 732,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,677,000 after buying an additional 2,084 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,316,000 after buying an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 27.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Select Advisors LLC now owns 28,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,029,000 after buying an additional 6,098 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays lowered their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $66.91 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $77.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $70.32 and a 200-day moving average of $68.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group’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, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% 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 insiders.

About Altria Group

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.