Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading 1.9% Higher – Here’s What Happened

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s stock price was up 1.9% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $70.74 and last traded at $69.9420. Approximately 8,331,353 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 10,038,390 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MO. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.22.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.0%

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $66.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.72 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group’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. As a group, research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MO. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 64.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $926,000 after purchasing an additional 6,954 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 86.3% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 2,946 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. bought a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth $5,752,000. 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.