Kestra Advisory Services LLC Acquires 66,391 Shares of Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 12.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 582,801 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 66,391 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $39,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $631,606,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $349,743,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 3,691.2% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,606,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $259,492,000 after acquiring an additional 3,511,430 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note 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 upped their target price on Altria Group from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Altria Group from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $71.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MO traded down $1.50 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $76.08. 7,174,857 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,660,204. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $79.87. The firm has a market cap of $126.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $71.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.15.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 330.66% and a net margin of 34.51%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is presently 91.74%.

Key Altria Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Altria reported third-quarter 2026 sales of $5.441 billion, net income of $2.518 billion and continuing-operations EPS of $1.51. The company also extended its long-running dividend-increase streak, continued share repurchases and pointed to growth in its on! nicotine pouch brand—supporting the case for earnings and cash returns. Are Strong Earnings Altering The Investment Case For Altria Stock (MO)?
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted MO’s high shareholder yield and appeal to investors seeking defensive income amid market volatility. One characterized the stock as trading in a buy zone as investors rotated toward consumer staples. Meet the High-Yield Dividend Stock Quietly Crushing the S&P 500 4 Stocks With Solid Shareholder Yields to Buy Amid US Market Decline Altria Stock Trades In Buy Zone As Investors Shift To Defense
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether Altria’s dividend adequately compensates investors for its share-price risks highlights the need to weigh income against potential capital returns. The supplied article summary does not detail a new company-specific concern. Is Altria’s Dividend Enough To Make Up For Its Share Price?

About Altria Group

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.