Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $56.00.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Altria Group Price Performance

NYSE MO opened at $59.74 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $58.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.69. Altria Group has a fifty-two week low of $43.83 and a fifty-two week high of $61.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.63 billion, a PE ratio of 9.12, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.60.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.04. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.83%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 68.34%.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Chelsea Counsel Co. boosted its position in Altria Group by 1.8% during the first quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 20,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. MBL Wealth LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 28.2% during the first quarter. MBL Wealth LLC now owns 6,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Altria Group by 18.6% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 40,994 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,460,000 after acquiring an additional 6,441 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Rock Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group during the first quarter valued at $323,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.