Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 101.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 118,495 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 59,555 shares during the quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,819,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $99,000. Associated Banc Corp lifted its stake in Altria Group by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 46,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,042,000 after buying an additional 3,420 shares in the last quarter. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 1,427.1% during the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 91,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,218,000 after buying an additional 85,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 5,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MO stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $71.78. 7,334,373 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,513,980. The stock has a market cap of $119.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.02, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.74.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released 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 negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’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 anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Altria Group Company 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.