United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $6.92 Million in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 96,246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,925,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at $631,606,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $349,743,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $67.66 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.95. The firm has a market cap of $112.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $1.11 dividend. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 89.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on MO. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lowered their target price on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group 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.