Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Increases Stock Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 210,032 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,624 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $15,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MO. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 5.8% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,239 shares of the company’s stock valued at $821,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Johnson & White Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 19,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MO. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Down 2.5%

MO stock opened at $64.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.68 and a 200-day moving average of $68.74. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $77.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.