Sanctuary Advisors LLC Has $37.37 Million Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 566,366 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,370 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $37,374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted 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 worth $3,777,931,000 after purchasing an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after buying an additional 3,321,262 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 438.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,749,000 after buying an additional 2,962,270 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,903,530 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in Altria Group by 301.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 2,416,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,315,000 after buying an additional 1,814,224 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, 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

NYSE:MO opened at $70.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.97. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.70 and a 52-week high of $74.56. The company has a market cap of $117.24 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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. On average, research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MO shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America increased their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.78.

Altria Group 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.