Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 10,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $773,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the period. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 59.3% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after buying an additional 14,490 shares during the period. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,336,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 206.7% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,358,000 after acquiring an additional 50,931 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE MO opened at $69.63 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $116.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.45. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.03. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 89.45%.

About Altria Group

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.