Capital Research Global Investors Raises Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,131,644 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,757 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Altria Group were worth $801,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 17,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 267.0% in the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 89,652 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,256,000 after acquiring an additional 65,226 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on MO to $74 and reiterated a Buy, giving investors a clearer upside case that likely supports the stock’s uptick. UBS Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a note highlighting Altria as a strong momentum stock, reinforcing the view that earnings/flows and defensive rotation are supporting shares. Zacks Momentum Note
• Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat and other outlets are featuring Altria as a high-yield, defensive income pick amid market volatility—supporting demand from income-focused investors. MarketBeat High-Yield Feature
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses (Seeking Alpha, 247WallSt) reiterate Altria’s durable cash flow and 6%-plus dividend yield, keeping it on radar as a defensive income play versus bonds. Seeking Alpha: Smoking’s Not Dead
• Neutral Sentiment: Company dividend details (quarterly $1.06; ex-dividend March 25) underpin yield attraction, but payout ratio >100% is a noted sustainability caveat. MarketBeat Dividend Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst landscape: several firms boosted targets while others remain cautious; consensus is still around “Hold,” so upgrades are not yet consensus-driven. Analyst Coverage Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Charles Whitaker sold ~27,908 shares (~$1.9M) recently, trimming his stake ~13% — a short-term negative signal that some investors may note. Insider Sale Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results modestly missed EPS expectations and showed slight revenue decline YoY, reminders of demand pressures and regulatory risk that could cap multiple expansion. Earnings & Fundamentals

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO opened at $67.08 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.82 and a 12 month high of $70.51. The company has a market cap of $112.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.32, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $63.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.57.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.16%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Barclays boosted their target price on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.11.

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.