Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $64.40 Million Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,098,412 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 76,741 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Altria Group worth $64,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MO. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 334.7% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:MO opened at $58.19 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.80. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.08 and a 1-year high of $68.60. The stock has a market cap of $97.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.25, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.51.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.24% and a negative return on equity of 295.26%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.38 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on MO shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $62.33.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.