Fund Advisors of America Inc FL Makes New Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Fund Advisors of America Inc FL bought a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $715,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,275,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147,141 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,651,383,000 after purchasing an additional 729,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,306,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,286,174,000 after buying an additional 335,089 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $69.18 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $69.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.31. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.70 and a 1-year high of $74.56. The firm has a market cap of $115.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.47, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 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 business posted $1.23 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

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 value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MO. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price 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 increased their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

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.