Swiss National Bank Increases Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 7.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,926,500 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 323,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $325,100,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th 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. boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% in the 4th 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,651,383,000 after purchasing an additional 729,999 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.5% during 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. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of MO stock opened at $74.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $123.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s 50 day moving average is $71.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.21. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $75.28.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. The company’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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 transaction, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

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.