PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $127.74 Million Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,935,764 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,416 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of Altria Group worth $127,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Altria Group by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 301.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,315,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 4,053.7% in the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,681,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,977,000 after acquiring an additional 1,641,384 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of MO stock opened at $72.27 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $75.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $71.92 and its 200-day moving average is $67.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.12, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MO. UBS Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

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.