Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Down 1.2% – What’s Next?
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailyAltria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) shares traded down 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $67.50 and last traded at $67.6410. 10,370,118 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 11% from the average daily volume of 9,337,322 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.44.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
MO has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.78.
Altria Group Trading Down 1.2%
The company has a fifty day moving average price of $71.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.46.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current year.
Altria Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.45%.
Insider Activity
In related news, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. The trade was a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 25,102 shares in the company, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Stonehaven Wealth & Tax Solutions LLC increased its position in Altria Group by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Stonehaven Wealth & Tax Solutions LLC now owns 5,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares during the period. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Altria Group by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,187,000 after buying an additional 1,078 shares during the last quarter. Sandro Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sandro Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the period. Private Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 9,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $705,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 61.7% in the second quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 68,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,899,000 after acquiring an additional 25,990 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.