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

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.6667.

MO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group increased their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $66.74 on Thursday. Altria Group has a 52-week low of $52.46 and a 52-week high of $68.60. The stock has a market cap of $112.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $60.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.30.

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

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 103.16%.

Altria Group announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Country Trust Bank lifted its stake in Altria Group by 400.0% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.