NFSG Corp Raises Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

NFSG Corp lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 121.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,828 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,257 shares during the quarter. NFSG Corp’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,882,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. 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 acquiring an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321,262 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 438.6% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after purchasing an additional 2,962,270 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 301.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,315,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,224 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group 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 approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.78.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $70.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $71.51 and a 200 day moving average of $66.97. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

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.