64,907 Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. cut its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 16.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 321,708 shares of the company’s stock after selling 64,907 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $21,664,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 33,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,284,000 after purchasing an additional 3,442 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 25,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,777,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 14,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 4,050 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 29,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after buying an additional 10,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 65,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,713,000 after buying an additional 643 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $71.52 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.47. 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 $119.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.42.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results 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). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 93.67%.

Key Stories Impacting Altria Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are rotating toward tobacco stocks as the 10-year Treasury yield reaches a multidecade high, increasing demand for defensive companies with dependable cash distributions. Altria’s 4.7% dividend increase to $1.11 per share reinforces its income appeal. Investors Are Pushing Into Tobacco Stocks as Rate Concerns Return
• Positive Sentiment: Altria remains a popular high-yield income stock, and recent market weakness has made its yield appear more attractive relative to lower-yielding alternatives. Its dividend is viewed as secure because of strong free cash flow and a conservative balance sheet. 5 High-Yield Dividend Stocks That Could Turn October’s Market Weakness Into Income
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $5.61 to $5.72 signals confidence in near-term earnings, while Altria’s extension of its credit agreement supports financial flexibility. However, the company’s outlook for revenue growth remains muted. Altria Group Still Has A Long Way To Go
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue that Altria’s rally has moved ahead of its fundamental growth. Recent EPS improvement has reportedly benefited from tax refunds and discount brands rather than stronger core Marlboro performance, leading to a sell rating and a fair-value estimate of $63.80. Altria: The Rally Looks Ahead Of Underlying Earnings Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Traditional cigarette declines and the still-small contribution from oral nicotine products such as on! create longer-term growth concerns. Although Altria offers a higher yield than Philip Morris, that premium may reflect greater business risk for income-focused investors. PM vs. MO: Which Tobacco Dividend to Trust for the Next Decade

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on MO shares. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday. Finally, Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria’s principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.