Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 3.5% – What’s Next?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s share price fell 3.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $70.16 and last traded at $70.2620. 11,064,719 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average session volume of 10,097,653 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.79.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on MO. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.22.

Altria Group Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $66.83 and its 200-day moving average is $62.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.

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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. EMC Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is 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.