Primecap Management Co. CA Takes $18.78 Million Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 261,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,779,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:MO opened at $69.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $115.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $77.06. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.14 and a 200-day moving average of $68.93.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays cut their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

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.