Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Verus Capital Partners LLC

Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 18.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,482 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,202 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,122,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,647,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Altria Group by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after buying an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Altria Group by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,561,000 after buying an additional 17,429 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its position in Altria Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,889,000 after buying an additional 18,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lantz Financial LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth $1,203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of MO opened at $70.45 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.31. The company has a market capitalization of $117.64 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on MO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

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.