Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Invests $5.71 Million in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 79,392 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,712,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MO. Barclays lowered their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of MO opened at $68.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $114.32 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $77.06. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $70.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.89.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.