Cibc World Market Inc. Purchases 14,697 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 567,802 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,697 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $32,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 160,980,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,282,143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903,530 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,651,383,000 after buying an additional 729,999 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Altria Group by 19.4% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 19,567,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,575,000 after buying an additional 3,172,753 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Altria Group by 0.4% in the third 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 period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,795,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $737,787,000 after buying an additional 47,638 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.44.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

MO opened at $70.64 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.63 and a 200-day moving average of $64.40. The company has a market capitalization of $117.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $74.56.

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

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio 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.