MRA Advisory Group Purchases New Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

MRA Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 29,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,101,000. Altria Group accounts for 0.8% of MRA Advisory Group’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,275,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147,141 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,651,383,000 after purchasing an additional 729,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,306,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,286,174,000 after purchasing an additional 335,089 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE:MO opened at $68.37 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $77.06. The company has a market cap of $114.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $71.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $68.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.