Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $38.53 Million Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 7.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 668,243 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the quarter. Altria Group accounts for approximately 0.5% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $38,531,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% during the fourth quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $73.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $122.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.78. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.