Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 13,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $867,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $350,000. Brooks Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $959,000. Bank OZK bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $472,000. Hayek Kallen Investment Management bought a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,129,000. Finally, Old North State Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $285,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Down 2.1%

NYSE:MO opened at $67.66 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $112.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $77.06. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $70.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.95.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 89.45%.

About Altria Group

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.