11,506 Shares in Altria Group, Inc. $MO Bought by Virtus Advisers LLC

Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 11,506 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $828,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $821,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Old Peak Finance LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 1.3% during the second quarter. Old Peak Finance LLC now owns 11,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $858,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 0.7% during the second quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 23,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,678,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Altria Group Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MO stock opened at $65.87 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $70.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.86. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $77.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

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.