Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Bought by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 0.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,310,086 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,488 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.20% of Altria Group worth $222,901,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $821,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Old Peak Finance LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.3% in the second quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC now owns 11,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $858,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations: Adjusted EPS rose to $1.52 from $1.45 a year earlier, exceeding the $1.51 consensus estimate. Net revenue, excluding excise taxes, increased 3.6% to $5.44 billion, supported by higher pricing and stronger smokeable-product profits. Altria MO stock is up, what you need to know
• Positive Sentiment: Higher full-year outlook and buybacks: Altria raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance after the quarterly beat and expanded its share-repurchase program. The combination of improved earnings visibility and capital returns helped support the bullish investor reaction. MO Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Higher Guidance and Nicotine Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Core and next-generation products remain supportive: Needham said Altria’s smokeable volumes continue to outperform the broader industry, helped by its portfolio strategy. Management also highlighted growth in nicotine pouches, giving investors an additional source of expansion beyond traditional cigarettes. Altria’s Smokeable Volumes Continue to Outperform Industry, Needham Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation is attracting attention: Some analysis continues to view Altria as undervalued based on its cash-generation and dividend profile, although the stock’s roughly 153% five-year gain means investors are increasingly focused on whether future cash flows justify the higher valuation. Altria Group Stock Still Appears Undervalued Following Its 153% Run
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target remains a near-term constraint: Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $71 to $77 but maintained an “equal weight” rating, implying limited upside from the current trading level. This suggests some analysts believe the recent rally has already priced in much of the earnings improvement. Morgan Stanley Altria rating

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 114,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,771,498.98. The trade was a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $78.03 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $129.80 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $79.81. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.75.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 330.66% and a net margin of 34.51%. The firm had revenue of $5.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.69 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 91.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.00.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based consumer products company focused primarily on tobacco, nicotine and related products. Through its operating companies, Altria sells cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, oral tobacco and nicotine products, and electronic vapor products.

Altria’s principal cigarette business is Philip Morris USA, whose portfolio includes Marlboro, Parliament and Virginia Slims. Its other major brands include Copenhagen and Skoal moist smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, on! nicotine pouches and NJOY electronic cigarettes.