Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Has $22.74 Million Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 20.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 394,399 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,974 shares during the quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $22,741,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 79.0% during the 4th quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays boosted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $72.19 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.89. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.55 billion, a PE ratio of 15.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue 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. Equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.