Vise Technologies Inc. Purchases New Position in Altria Group, Inc. $MO

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 147,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,588,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC grew its position in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE MO opened at $65.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $109.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.70 and a twelve month high of $77.06. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.81.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Company 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.