Northcape Wealth Management LLC Invests $659,000 in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Northcape Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 9,158 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 64.7% in 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 last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO opened at $65.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $109.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $77.06. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.81.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5.36 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.