<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Gradient Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of  Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 225,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,891,000.</p><ul><li>$5B+ in Buybacks: What DraftKings, AppLovin, and Altria Are Telling You </li></ul><p>A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in  Altria Group by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company's stock worth $9,364,216,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter.  TigerOak Management L.L.C. grew its position in shares of  Altria Group by 43.0% in the second quarter. TigerOak Management L.L.C. now owns 13,005 shares of the company's stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 3,908 shares during the period.  VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of  Altria Group during the second quarter worth about $126,471,000.  Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of  Altria Group by 31.5% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 97,389 shares of the company's stock worth $5,710,000 after purchasing an additional 23,331 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of  Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,388,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><p>MO has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Bank of America raised their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings  reaffirmed a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus  set a $72.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned  a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock  has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and a consensus target price of $62.33.</p><ul><li>Take Profits Now: 3 Overbought Stocks Primed for a Pullback</li></ul><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Altria Group</b></p><h2>Altria Group Price Performance</h2><p>Shares of MO stock opened at $59.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $99.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.48. The firm's 50-day moving average is $60.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.76. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $50.08 and a 12 month high of $68.60. </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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The business's revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS.  Sell-side analysts forecast that  Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Altria Group Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The firm also recently announced 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 7.1%. Altria Group's payout ratio is currently 80.92%. </p><p>Altria Group declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in    shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock  through open market purchases. Stock  buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued. </p><h2>Altria Group Profile</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>Recommended Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Altria Group</li><li>3 Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Now</li><li>Why Taiwan Semiconductor's 6.5% Dip Could Be a Smart Buy</li><li>What to Know About Investing in Penny Stocks</li><li>RTX Surges to Record Highs as Defense Orders Explode</li><li>How the NYSE and NASDAQ are Different, Why That Matters to Investors</li><li>Smart Money Is Buying Auto Suppliers, Not Car Brands</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>Gradient Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group, Inc. worth $14.89 million in the 3rd quarter. The fund purchased 225,410 shares. Other hedge funds also adjusted their positions in Altria. Analysts have set new price targets, with mixed ratings. Altria's recent earnings report showed a slight revenue decline but beat EPS estimates. The company announced a quarterly dividend and a $2 billion share repurchase program.</p>

Gradient Investments LLC Invests $14.89 Million in Altria Group, Inc. $MO