Leonteq Securities AG Makes New $1.25 Million Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 21,623 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,247,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:MO opened at $73.61 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $67.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.43. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $122.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on MO. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

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.