Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Down 2.1% – Time to Sell?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) was down 2.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $67.41 and last traded at $67.6560. 5,850,089 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 9,348,375 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.12.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MO has been the topic of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup upped their price target on Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Price Performance

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $70.14 and its 200-day moving average is $68.93. The stock has a market cap of $112.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 62.9% during the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 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.