Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.33.

Several brokerages have issued reports on MO. Bank of America raised Altria Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, December 6th. Citigroup raised their price target on Altria Group from $44.50 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on Altria Group from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Altria Group from $52.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of MO opened at $51.32 on Wednesday. Altria Group has a 52-week low of $39.25 and a 52-week high of $58.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $54.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.92. The company has a market capitalization of $86.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.64.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.03. Altria Group had a net margin of 42.82% and a negative return on equity of 233.80%. The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Altria Group will post 5.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.95%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 420.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Fairman Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Altria Group by 85.1% during the third quarter. Fairman Group LLC now owns 892 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. Finally, Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Altria Group during the fourth quarter worth about $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

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.