Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 4.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 652,908 shares of the company’s stock after selling 27,051 shares during the period. Altria Group accounts for 0.5% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $43,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,073,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,070,964,000 after buying an additional 1,325,175 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,104,566,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,929,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,194,000 after buying an additional 133,676 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $631,606,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Altria’s quarterly dividend is $1.11 per share, or $4.44 annualized, following a 4.7% increase in August—its 61st increase in 57 years. The payout is about 78% of the midpoint of 2026 earnings guidance, a level that supports the income-investment case while leaving less room for earnings setbacks. Article: Altria Yields Nearly 6%. Here’s Why I’d Buy It for a Lifetime of Passive Income.
• Positive Sentiment: The smokeable business reportedly retains a 64.5% margin, with pricing strength and tax refunds offsetting lower cigarette volumes and higher manufacturing costs. This profitability helps underpin earnings and dividend capacity. Article: Can Altria’s 64.5% Smokeable Margin Sustain Profit Growth Ahead?
• Neutral Sentiment: Altria’s 42% stake in Cronos Group could offer upside if U.S. cannabis regulations eventually allow entry, but that opportunity depends on regulatory change and is not an immediate earnings driver. Article: One Regulator Could Soon Unlock Altria And Cronos’ Cannabis Fortune
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles highlight that a yield near 6% warrants scrutiny: high yields can reflect share-price weakness, and Altria’s roughly 78% earnings payout leaves the dividend exposed if profits or cash flow weaken. Falling cigarette volumes and the need to sustain pricing add to that risk. Article: Is Altria’s 5.8% Dividend Yield Too Good to Be True Heading Into 2027?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 114,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on MO. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Altria Group from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Freedom Broker raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.67.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO stock opened at $76.25 on Wednesday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $79.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $71.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.30.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 330.66% and a net margin of 34.51%. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $1.11 dividend. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.8%. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 91.74%.

Altria Group Profile

Altria Group, Inc. is a U.S.-based tobacco and nicotine company whose businesses focus primarily on the domestic market. Its products include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, oral nicotine products and e-vapor products. Altria’s portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, made by Philip Morris USA; Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco products, made by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and products from John Middleton and Helix Innovations. The company also owns NJOY, an e-vapor brand. The company was established as Philip Morris Companies Inc. and adopted the Altria name in 2003.