Investors Purchase High Volume of Altria Group Call Options (NYSE:MO)

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors bought 1,274,336 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 4,332% compared to the typical volume of 28,752 call options.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of MO opened at $66.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $111.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $63.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.09. Altria Group has a 52-week low of $48.86 and a 52-week high of $68.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $5.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.21 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 295.26% and a net margin of 37.24%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.350-5.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Altria Group will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.92%.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Country Trust Bank increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America upped their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays upped their price target on Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Altria Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $47.00 to $59.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.88.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.