denkapparat Operations GmbH Grows Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

denkapparat Operations GmbH raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 118.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 23,930 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,954 shares during the period. denkapparat Operations GmbH’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,073,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,070,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,325,175 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,275,886,000 after buying an additional 1,147,141 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,651,383,000 after buying an additional 729,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,806,782,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $69.57 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.92 and a 200-day moving average of $69.07. The company has a market capitalization of $116.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.68, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $77.06.

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 analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

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.