Bank of New York Mellon Corp Has $737.79 Million Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,795,466 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 47,638 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $737,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 79.0% in the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.7%

MO opened at $70.45 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $74.56. The company has a fifty day moving average of $68.50 and a 200-day moving average of $64.31. The stock has a market cap of $117.64 billion, a PE ratio of 14.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

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.