EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New $7.86 Million Investment in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 109,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,859,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $65.87 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% 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.

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.