Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Boosts Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 25.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,607 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,802 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $3,668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,677,000 after acquiring an additional 44,303 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,889,000 after buying an additional 18,626 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. UBS Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $69.22.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $68.11 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.