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

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research 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 target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $70.7778.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MO. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE MO opened at $74.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $123.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.45. Altria Group has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $75.28. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.21.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.70%.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In related news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total value of $145,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,531,000 after buying an additional 44,267 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 438.6% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,637,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $209,749,000 after buying an additional 2,962,270 shares during the period. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $2,438,000. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the fourth quarter worth about $3,336,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.