IFP Advisors Inc Has $3.57 Million Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 26.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 61,844 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,924 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 19.4% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Altria Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,543,000 after buying an additional 59,189 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.1% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,122,000 after buying an additional 132,846 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Altria Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $801,412,000 after buying an additional 47,757 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Five investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE MO opened at $73.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $122.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $67.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.43.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

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.