Addison Capital Co Acquires Shares of 9,050 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Addison Capital Co bought a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 9,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $597,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MO. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after buying an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,275,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147,141 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased 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 valued at $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group 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. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MO. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $72.81 on Thursday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $121.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.23, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $71.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.61.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its 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. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 88.70%.

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.