Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Purchases New Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 63,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,648,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 19.4% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,285,575,000 after purchasing an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 16,705,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,543,000 after buying an additional 59,189 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Altria Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,122,000 after buying an additional 132,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Altria Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 12,131,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $801,412,000 after buying an additional 47,757 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on MO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $73.37 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $122.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.48. Altria Group, Inc. has a one year low of $54.70 and a one year high of $74.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $67.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.31.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

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.