Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $63.6667.

A number of research firms have commented on MO. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target 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, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $66.74 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $60.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.30. The company has a market cap of $112.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.47. Altria Group has a twelve month low of $52.46 and a twelve month high of $68.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.16%.

Altria Group announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,158,000 after purchasing an additional 26,624 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after buying an additional 44,303 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,364,216,000 after buying an additional 1,599,923 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its stake in Altria Group by 155.4% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 31,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after buying an additional 18,997 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 31.5% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 97,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,710,000 after buying an additional 23,331 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

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.