Altria Group, Inc. $MO Shares Acquired by United Community Bank

United Community Bank increased its stake in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) by 994.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,510 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,458 shares during the period. United Community Bank’s holdings in Altria Group were worth $760,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Altria Group by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,364,216,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599,923 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,367,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,315,438,000 after buying an additional 886,583 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 44,724,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,620,229,000 after buying an additional 764,221 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Altria Group by 62.5% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 16,395,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $954,446,000 after acquiring an additional 6,302,819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 12,747,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,122,000 after acquiring an additional 132,846 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Altria Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management says price increases and cost discipline are boosting margins and full‑year profit is forecast above estimates, supporting near‑term cash generation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Altria keeps returning capital: high dividend (long streak of increases), buybacks and a progressive dividend policy remain central to the investment case and attract income buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company continues to push smoke‑free products (on! pouches, NJOY integration) and emphasizes innovation to offset falling cigarette volumes — a long‑term growth narrative for investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance of $5.56–$5.72 is essentially in line with consensus, leaving limited surprise risk but not a clear catalyst to re-rate the shares. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel trimmed its price target from $72 to $68 but maintained a buy rating — shows some analyst support despite tempered upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS of $1.30 missed consensus ($1.32) and cigarette shipment volumes fell ~10%; smokeable revenue pressure and smoke‑free weakness drove the initial selloff. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory, volume trends and company filings highlighting leverage/negative ROE raise longer‑term execution and balance‑sheet scrutiny among some investors. Read More.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $61.97 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.08 and a 200 day moving average of $61.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.47. Altria Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.30 and a fifty-two week high of $68.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. Analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.56.

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.