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

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings 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 $65.75.

A number of brokerages have commented on MO. Barclays increased their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Argus upgraded Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th.

Altria Group Price Performance

MO stock opened at $67.52 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $66.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.59. Altria Group has a fifty-two week low of $54.70 and a fifty-two week high of $70.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.41.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released 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 net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The business had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Altria Group will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th will be given a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. EMC Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.