Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Has $7.27 Million Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 15.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 126,004 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,712 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $27,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth $33,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gould Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth $39,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE MO opened at $69.05 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $115.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.77.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Altria Group Company Profile

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.