Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 1.6% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) were down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $69.00 and last traded at $69.0460. Approximately 8,573,869 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 10,081,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $47.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five research 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 data from MarketBeat, Altria Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Altria Group Trading Down 1.3%

The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.77. The company has a market capitalization of $113.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released 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. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.23 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 88.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 64.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 17,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 6,954 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 86.3% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 2,946 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 6.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $346,000. Finally, AXA S.A. acquired a new position in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth $5,752,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.