Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $70.4444.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 35,698 shares of company stock worth $2,449,191 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Security Financial Services INC. purchased a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter worth approximately $214,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Altria Group by 1.9% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 219,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,492,000 after purchasing an additional 4,066 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 41.2% during the first quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 1,704 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the first quarter worth approximately $237,000. Finally, Essential Partners LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 16.4% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 1,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Trading Down 3.2%

Altria Group stock opened at $69.63 on Friday. Altria Group has a 12-month low of $54.70 and a 12-month high of $74.56. The stock has a market cap of $116.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $68.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.02.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Altria Group will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

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.