LPL Financial LLC Acquires 658,500 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 17.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,414,397 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 658,500 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned about 0.26% of Altria Group worth $254,534,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 729,999 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,543,000 after buying an additional 59,189 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,795,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $737,787,000 after buying an additional 47,638 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MO. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:MO opened at $71.55 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.68. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Altria Group 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.