Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 287.61% and a net margin of 29.84%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Altria Group’s conference call:

• Altria grew adjusted diluted EPS by 4.4% in 2025 and returned about $8 billion to shareholders via $7B of dividends and $1B of buybacks, with $1B of repurchase capacity remaining.
• on! PLUS received FDA marketing-granted orders for select flavors/strengths, shipments resumed in initial states and a national rollout is planned in H1 2026, with Helix expected to remain profitable in 2026 and early consumer feedback favorable.
• Altria recorded a $1.3 billion non-cash impairment on its e-vapor intangible assets and goodwill after persistent illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products and slower-than-expected enforcement created significant headwinds for the e-vapor business.
• 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance is $5.56–$5.72 (2.5%–5.5% growth) with growth weighted to H2 as Altria invests $300–$375M in manufacturing/import-export (duty-drawback) capabilities that management says have strong payback potential but raise near-term costs.

Altria Group Price Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $61.97 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $59.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.75. The firm has a market cap of $104.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.47. Altria Group has a fifty-two week low of $51.30 and a fifty-two week high of $68.60.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 80.92%.

Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $62.56.

Trending Headlines about Altria Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management says price increases and cost discipline are boosting margins and full‑year profit is forecast above estimates, supporting near‑term cash generation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Altria keeps returning capital: high dividend (long streak of increases), buybacks and a progressive dividend policy remain central to the investment case and attract income buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company continues to push smoke‑free products (on! pouches, NJOY integration) and emphasizes innovation to offset falling cigarette volumes — a long‑term growth narrative for investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 EPS guidance of $5.56–$5.72 is essentially in line with consensus, leaving limited surprise risk but not a clear catalyst to re-rate the shares. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel trimmed its price target from $72 to $68 but maintained a buy rating — shows some analyst support despite tempered upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS of $1.30 missed consensus ($1.32) and cigarette shipment volumes fell ~10%; smokeable revenue pressure and smoke‑free weakness drove the initial selloff. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory, volume trends and company filings highlighting leverage/negative ROE raise longer‑term execution and balance‑sheet scrutiny among some investors. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Gould Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $82,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Altria Group

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.