Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. Invests $591,000 in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. purchased a new position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 9,688 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $591,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 8.6% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,158,000 after acquiring an additional 26,624 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% during 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 period. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 155.4% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 31,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,062,000 after purchasing an additional 18,997 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $64.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $107.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.41. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $70.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $66.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.61.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.

Key Altria Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst tone turning more constructive — a Seeking Alpha piece argues Wall Street’s upgrade reflects renewed confidence in Altria’s pricing power, new products and market opportunities, suggesting upside versus prior overly‑pessimistic views. Altria: Wall Street Finally Came To Its Senses
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory/product progress — Altria is rolling out on! PLUS nicotine pouches nationwide after selection for the FDA’s fast‑track pilot for certain nicotine products, which supports the company’s smoke‑free growth narrative and could improve long‑term revenue mix if adoption scales. Altria’s on! PLUS Fast Track Launch Tests Smoke Free Growth Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings focus — preview coverage notes a modest expected rise in Q1 EPS; investors are watching top‑line trends (smokable volume vs. pricing/new product mix) for confirmation of guidance and margin stability. Earnings could swing sentiment in either direction. What to Expect From Altria Group’s Q1 2026 Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/short‑term technicals — market commentary highlights a recent pullback after a strong run; MO still yields in the high single digits and trades near its 50/200‑day averages, keeping income investors engaged but leaving limited upside for growth‑focused buyers. Assessing Altria Group (MO) Valuation After Recent Share Pullback And Mixed Short Term Returns
• Negative Sentiment: Dividends and growth concerns — a Seeking Alpha analysis warns Altria’s long Dividend King streak faces challenges as growth slows, flagging balance‑sheet and runway risks that could pressure the dividend narrative central to investor demand. That critique likely weighs on income‑focused holders. Very Bad News For Altria: This Dividend King Is Running Out Of Runway
• Negative Sentiment: Comparative risk vs. peers — analyst commentary and comparisons (e.g., vs. Philip Morris) highlight divergent fundamentals and the possibility that one dividend story is riskier than another, which can prompt reallocation away from MO among yield‑seeking portfolios. Altria vs. Philip Morris: One Dividend Is a Trap — Here’s Which One to Avoid

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MO. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.88.

Insider Activity

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.