HighTower Advisors LLC Has $162.29 Million Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,814,522 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 109,662 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.17% of Altria Group worth $162,285,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MO. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Altria Group by 286.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,929,000 after purchasing an additional 3,321,262 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after acquiring an additional 3,172,753 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 438.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after acquiring an additional 2,962,270 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in 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 during the period. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $89,460,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of MO opened at $74.01 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $67.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.20. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. The business’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, research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on MO. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

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.