Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Up 1.9% – Time to Buy?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) shares rose 1.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $70.74 and last traded at $69.9420. Approximately 8,331,353 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 10,038,390 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group lifted 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. 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, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.22.

Altria Group Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $66.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.83. The company has a market capitalization of $116.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of Altria Group 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in Altria Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after purchasing an additional 44,303 shares during the period. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Altria Group by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in Altria Group by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Altria Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 603,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,889,000 after purchasing an additional 18,626 shares during the period. 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.