Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $62.3333.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:MO opened at $57.75 on Wednesday. Altria Group has a 12-month low of $50.08 and a 12-month high of $68.60. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.67. The firm has a market cap of $96.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.02, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Altria Group will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.3%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.92%.

Altria Group announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 89,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,399,000 after acquiring an additional 12,050 shares during the period. Promethium Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 27.6% in the first quarter. Promethium Advisors LLC now owns 60,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,695,000 after buying an additional 13,096 shares in the last quarter. 1 North Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter valued at $143,000. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,329,000 after buying an additional 5,782 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

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.