State Street Corp Raises Stake in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

State Street Corp boosted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,147,141 shares during the period. State Street Corp’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $4,275,886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 62.9% in the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EMC Capital Management bought a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of MO stock opened at $71.83 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $69.40 and a 200 day moving average of $64.92. 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 $119.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS 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 company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% 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 Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.