Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 287,648 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,079,665 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 287,648 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $293,532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.6%

MO stock opened at $65.87 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $77.06. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $70.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.81.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

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

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.