<div id="readability-page-1"><p>The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its stake in  Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  owned 2,625,349 shares of the company's stock after selling 470,287 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.16% of Altria Group worth $153,924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.</p><ul><li>$5B+ in Buybacks: What DraftKings, AppLovin, and Altria Are Telling You </li></ul><p>Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of  Altria Group by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter.  Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in  Altria Group by 0.6% in the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 26,335 shares of the company's stock worth $1,581,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period.  Bar Harbor Wealth Management boosted its position in  Altria Group by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bar Harbor Wealth Management now owns 5,656 shares of the company's stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter.  Parcion Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in  Altria Group by 1.6% during the second quarter. Parcion Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,172 shares of the company's stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period.  Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC grew its holdings in  Altria Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 11,381 shares of the company's stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2><p>Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus  set a $72.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings  restated a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $62.33.</p><ul><li>Take Profits Now: 3 Overbought Stocks Primed for a Pullback</li></ul><p><b>View Our Latest Research Report on MO</b></p><h2>Altria Group Stock Up 0.0%</h2><p>NYSE MO opened at $58.71 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $60.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.74. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $50.08 and a 52 week high of $68.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.20, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.48. </p><ul><li>Ride the Rally: 3 Earnings Winners With More Upside Ahead</li></ul><p>Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The firm's revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS.  As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that  Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Altria Group Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.2%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio  is presently 80.92%. </p><p>Altria Group declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in  outstanding  shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued. </p><h2>About Altria Group</h2> (Free Report)<p>Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black &amp; Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.</p><h2>Read More</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Altria Group</li><li>CD Calculator: Certificate of Deposit Calculator </li><li>Dividend Powerhouses: 3 Blue-Chip Stocks Built for the Long Haul</li><li>What is a Microcap Stock? Everything You Need to Know </li><li>3 Recently Downgraded Stocks to Avoid in 2026</li><li>10 Best Airline Stocks to Buy</li><li>The Chip Boom Is Back: 3 Stocks Positioned for Huge Gains</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1P?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1P"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Altria Group Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Altria Group, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Altria Group wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Altria Group currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in Altria Group, Inc. by 15.2% in Q2, owning 2,625,349 shares worth $153.9 million. Analysts have mixed ratings on Altria, with a consensus "Hold" and an average target price of $62.33. Altria reported Q3 earnings of $1.45 per share, slightly above estimates, with revenue down 3% year-over-year. The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.06, payable on January 9th.</p>

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Reduces Stock Holdings in Altria Group, Inc. $MO