Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC Takes $852,000 Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $852,000.

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

Altria Group Stock Up 1.6%

MO stock opened at $69.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.43 billion, a PE ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $70.14 and its 200-day moving average is $68.93.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on MO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.