Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Buys New Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 4,860,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,743,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 59.3% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 14,490 shares during the period. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at $3,336,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 206.7% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,358,000 after buying an additional 50,931 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $68.08 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $70.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 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.

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). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. BTIG Research started coverage on Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. 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 report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target 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. Five 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.