Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Up 1% Following Dividend Announcement

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s share price was up 1% during trading on Thursday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $72.45 and last traded at $72.29. Approximately 8,607,491 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 14% from the average daily volume of 10,004,285 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.54.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MO shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.9%

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $67.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.05. The firm has a market cap of $122.00 billion, a PE ratio of 15.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 298.69% and a net margin of 34.34%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Altria Group

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 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.