Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd trimmed its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,890,040 shares of the company’s stock after selling 195,152 shares during the quarter. Altria Group comprises 1.2% of Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd owned approximately 0.23% of Altria Group worth $279,888,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Altria Group by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 3,691.2% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,492,000 after acquiring an additional 3,511,430 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Altria Group by 286.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 301.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,315,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,224 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $65.72 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.69. The company has a market cap of $109.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. The company’s 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group 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.