Altria Group, Inc. $MO Stock Holdings Increased by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 13.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 154,061 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,405 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $9,033,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 226.3% during the first quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC now owns 509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $65.70 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $65.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.91. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.86 and a 52 week high of $68.60. The company has a market capitalization of $110.38 billion, a PE ratio of 12.71, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.55.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.24% and a negative return on equity of 295.26%. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.21 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 82.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $60.88.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.