Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,866,815 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 252,790 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $165,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,752,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays lifted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.44.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.4%

MO opened at $71.55 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $69.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.68. The company has a market capitalization of $119.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $74.56.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.