Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Purchased by Allstate Corp

Allstate Corp raised its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 110.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 127,469 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 66,920 shares during the quarter. Allstate Corp’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $7,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Gould Capital LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Down 2.0%

MO opened at $72.41 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56. The firm has a market cap of $120.92 billion, a PE ratio of 15.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.78.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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. Bank of America boosted their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given 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 $69.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.