Wellington Management Group LLP Acquires 159,265 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 25.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 783,686 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 159,265 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $56,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $631,606,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $349,743,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. BTIG Research began coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $69.57 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $116.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.68, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same period last 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $1.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 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.