Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Up 1.2% – Here’s What Happened

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)’s share price traded up 1.2% during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $69.62 and last traded at $69.3440. Approximately 6,949,258 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 9,126,810 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MO shares. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Up 1.2%

The firm has a market cap of $115.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.24.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is an increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is currently 93.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Altria Group

In other news, Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 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 completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 114,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. The trade was a 1.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA acquired a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% in the fourth quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 78.8% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 524 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 110.9% in the 2nd quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. now owns 578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

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.