Rakuten Securities Inc. Takes Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 12,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $921,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 86.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 2,946 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in Altria Group by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,752,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Five 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $65.87 on Monday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $77.06. The stock has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $70.20 and its 200 day moving average is $68.86.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The company’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

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.