University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. Buys 129,366 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 137.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 223,537 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 129,366 shares during the period. Altria Group makes up about 1.9% of University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $15,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $631,606,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $349,743,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3,691.2% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,492,000 after purchasing an additional 3,511,430 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Altria reported third-quarter 2026 sales of $5.441 billion, net income of $2.518 billion and continuing-operations EPS of $1.51. The company also extended its long-running dividend-increase streak, continued share repurchases and pointed to growth in its on! nicotine pouch brand—supporting the case for earnings and cash returns. Are Strong Earnings Altering The Investment Case For Altria Stock (MO)?
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted MO’s high shareholder yield and appeal to investors seeking defensive income amid market volatility. One characterized the stock as trading in a buy zone as investors rotated toward consumer staples. Meet the High-Yield Dividend Stock Quietly Crushing the S&P 500 4 Stocks With Solid Shareholder Yields to Buy Amid US Market Decline Altria Stock Trades In Buy Zone As Investors Shift To Defense
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether Altria’s dividend adequately compensates investors for its share-price risks highlights the need to weigh income against potential capital returns. The supplied article summary does not detail a new company-specific concern. Is Altria’s Dividend Enough To Make Up For Its Share Price?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Altria Group from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. BTIG Research started coverage on Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.67.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE MO opened at $76.08 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $126.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $79.87. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $71.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.15.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.51% and a negative return on equity of 330.66%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.74%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 114,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based tobacco and nicotine company whose businesses focus primarily on the domestic market. Its products include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, oral nicotine products and e-vapor products.

Altria’s portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, made by Philip Morris USA; Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco products, made by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and products from John Middleton and Helix Innovations. The company also owns NJOY, an e-vapor brand.

The company was established as Philip Morris Companies Inc and adopted the Altria name in 2003.