Stifel Nicolaus Lowers Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Price Target to $68.00

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $72.00 to $68.00 in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price indicates a potential upside of 9.73% from the stock’s current price.

MO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.56.

Altria Group Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of MO opened at $61.97 on Friday. Altria Group has a 52 week low of $51.30 and a 52 week high of $68.60. The firm has a market cap of $104.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.08 and a 200-day moving average of $61.77.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MO. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 8.6% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,158,000 after acquiring an additional 26,624 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after purchasing an additional 44,303 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,364,216,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599,923 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $126,471,000. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 155.4% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

More Altria Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management says price increases and cost discipline are boosting margins and full‑year profit is forecast above estimates, supporting near‑term cash generation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Altria keeps returning capital: high dividend (long streak of increases), buybacks and a progressive dividend policy remain central to the investment case and attract income buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company continues to push smoke‑free products (on! pouches, NJOY integration) and emphasizes innovation to offset falling cigarette volumes — a long‑term growth narrative for investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance of $5.56–$5.72 is essentially in line with consensus, leaving limited surprise risk but not a clear catalyst to re-rate the shares. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel trimmed its price target from $72 to $68 but maintained a buy rating — shows some analyst support despite tempered upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS of $1.30 missed consensus ($1.32) and cigarette shipment volumes fell ~10%; smokeable revenue pressure and smoke‑free weakness drove the initial selloff. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory, volume trends and company filings highlighting leverage/negative ROE raise longer‑term execution and balance‑sheet scrutiny among some investors. Read More.

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.