Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Up 3% – Here’s Why

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s stock price traded up 3% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $71.84 and last traded at $71.4730. 11,198,616 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 22% from the average daily volume of 9,146,557 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Freedom Broker raised Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%

The company has a market cap of $119.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.33.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%. The business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 93.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $67.62 per share, with a total value of $101,430.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MO. Procyon Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 59.3% in the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 14,490 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in Altria Group by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 266,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,696,000 after purchasing an additional 21,124 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth $2,911,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 4,053.7% in the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,681,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,977,000 after buying an additional 1,641,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 26.9% during the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,164,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,800,000 after buying an additional 246,702 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Altria Group Company Profile

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria’s principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.