LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC Buys New Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 21,476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,545,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% in the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $65.87 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.86. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $77.06. The company has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, 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 owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

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.