Kinloch Capital LLC Acquires Shares of 77,424 Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Kinloch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 77,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,571,000. Altria Group comprises 2.0% of Kinloch Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth $1,806,782,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $631,606,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3,691.2% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,492,000 after purchasing an additional 3,511,430 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 0.6%

MO opened at $68.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $113.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $77.06. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.14 and a 200 day moving average of $68.91.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup increased their target price 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, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

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.