Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Capital Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 38.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 417,366 shares of the company’s stock after selling 263,635 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $28,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,073,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,070,964,000 after buying an additional 1,325,175 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,104,566,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,929,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,194,000 after buying an additional 133,676 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $631,606,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $74.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $124.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.42. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $69.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.93.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group’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. On average, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 93.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Freedom Broker raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 114,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Altria Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Altria to benefit from favorable earnings comparisons and estimates, raising the possibility of an earnings beat in the upcoming report. A stronger-than-expected result could support the stock and reinforce fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $5.61–$5.72. Altria (MO) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Altria extended its $3 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility by one year to October 2030. The unchanged terms preserve a substantial liquidity backstop and provide flexibility for working capital, capital allocation and shareholder returns ahead of earnings. Earnings Beat Hopes Could Matter For Altria Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria remains popular with income-focused investors because of its roughly 5.7% yield, repeated dividend increases and long-term total returns driven primarily by distributions rather than share-price appreciation. This may attract defensive investors, particularly when cash flows remain resilient. Altria’s Stock Has a Surprising 10-Year Return
• Negative Sentiment: Altria pays out approximately 89.3% of earnings as dividends. While the payout supports the stock’s income appeal, the limited earnings retained for reinvestment leaves less cushion if cigarette volumes decline, regulatory pressures increase or earnings weaken. Altria Pays Out 89.3% of Its Earnings as Dividends
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term concerns remain over shrinking cigarette volumes, previous write-downs and Altria’s weaker position in smoke-free products. Those structural risks may be weighing on the shares even as investors await a potentially favorable quarterly update.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based consumer products company focused primarily on tobacco, nicotine and related products. Through its operating companies, Altria sells cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, oral tobacco and nicotine products, and electronic vapor products.

Altria’s principal cigarette business is Philip Morris USA, whose portfolio includes Marlboro, Parliament and Virginia Slims. Its other major brands include Copenhagen and Skoal moist smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, on! nicotine pouches and NJOY electronic cigarettes.