Occidental Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Occidental Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 104.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,794 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,128 shares during the period. Occidental Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $1,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Altria Group by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 1,569 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 14.3% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,577,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,333,000 after buying an additional 573,236 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.3% during the second quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 87,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,282,000 after buying an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. John Boyer Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.2% during the second quarter. John Boyer Inc. now owns 41,560 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,990,000 after buying an additional 898 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Barrel Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth approximately $314,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $65.87 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $77.06. The company has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $70.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.81.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued 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 business had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.Altria Group’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.