Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on MO. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America lifted their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup upped their target price on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.44.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $69.18 on Friday. Altria Group has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56. The company has a market capitalization of $115.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.47, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.31.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Altria Group will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other Altria Group news, 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 transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. The trade was a 7.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. 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.