Haverford Trust Co Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Haverford Trust Co acquired a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 59,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,295,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on MO. Barclays lowered their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Up 3.6%

MO stock opened at $68.46 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $70.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.89. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $77.06. The company has a market cap of $114.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.44, a P/E/G 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 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 company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group 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.