Altria Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:MO)

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 48,909 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 41% compared to the typical daily volume of 34,714 call options.

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MO. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth $25,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter worth $26,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Country Trust Bank increased its stake in Altria Group by 400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Altria Group by 334.7% during the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on MO. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $62.56.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MO traded up $1.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $60.03. 6,409,967 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,892,972. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.45, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.47. Altria Group has a 1-year low of $50.08 and a 1-year high of $68.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $58.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.50.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 37.89% and a negative return on equity of 319.43%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Altria Group will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were given a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.1%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.92%.

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.