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

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $70.4444.

MO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup lifted their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th.

Altria Group Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of MO opened at $71.71 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $119.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $69.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.52.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total value of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were 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 trade represents a 7.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 2.5% in the first quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 44,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares in the last quarter. Farmers National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 96.3% in the first quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 10,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 5,120 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 25.9% in the first quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 6,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 1,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 3.3% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 43,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 1,375 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.