Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 3,691.2% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,606,561 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,511,430 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $259,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Altria Group by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 301.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,315,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 4,053.7% in the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,681,875 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,977,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641,384 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.2%

MO stock opened at $67.64 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $77.06. The company has a 50 day moving average of $71.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.57. The company has a market cap of $112.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 89.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.

Altria Group Company 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.