Equitable Holdings Inc. Invests $10.80 Million in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Equitable Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 150,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,804,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MO. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 59.3% during the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after buying an additional 14,490 shares during the last quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at $3,336,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 206.7% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,358,000 after acquiring an additional 50,931 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock opened at $67.66 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06. The company has a market cap of $112.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $70.11 and a 200 day moving average of $68.95.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 89.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

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.