Altria Group, Inc. $MO Holdings Reduced by HBW Advisory Services LLC

HBW Advisory Services LLC cut its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 19.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 36,861 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,155 shares during the quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $2,482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MO. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,073,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,070,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,325,175 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $1,104,566,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Altria Group by 1.0% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,929,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,194,000 after buying an additional 133,676 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $631,606,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Altria outperformed a weak market in the latest session, indicating continued demand for its relatively defensive, income-oriented profile. Altria Ascends While Market Falls
• Positive Sentiment: Several dividend-focused articles identify Altria as an attractive high-yield stock because of its approximately 6% yield, established tobacco brands, pricing power and strong cash flow. One screening article specifically emphasizes that Altria’s payout is supported by cash rather than merely a high headline yield. High-Yield Dividend Stocks With Cash to Spare
• Positive Sentiment: Altria’s dividend and cash-generation profile compare favorably with other income stocks, supporting its appeal to investors seeking reliable current income despite modest growth prospects. Altria’s 6.2% Dividend Yield
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria is scheduled to report third-quarter results later this month. Analysts expect single-digit earnings growth, making the report a near-term test of whether pricing and cost controls can offset declining cigarette volumes. Altria Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish analysis argues that Altria’s rally has moved ahead of underlying earnings growth. The view is that recent EPS support has come partly from tax benefits and discount brands rather than stronger core Marlboro performance; a cited fair value of $63.80 implies downside from current levels. Altria Rally Ahead of Earnings Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Structural risks remain: fewer consumers smoke, and Altria must successfully expand smoke-free products to sustain earnings. This creates concern that the high dividend yield may reflect limited long-term growth as well as income value. Altria Strong Sell Analysis

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $73.05 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $68.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.53. The company has a market capitalization of $121.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.42. 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 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). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. 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, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 93.67%.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria’s principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.