Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $1.06

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of 1.06 per share on Friday, July 10th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th.

Altria Group has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 56 consecutive years. Altria Group has a dividend payout ratio of 76.5% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings decline. Equities analysts expect Altria Group to earn $5.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 72.4%.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.4%

MO stock traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $72.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,323,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,942,101. The company has a market cap of $121.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $66.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.97. Altria Group has a 12 month low of $54.70 and a 12 month high of $74.56.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.33.

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.