Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Down 1.4% – Time to Sell?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) dropped 1.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $72.86 and last traded at $73.5340. Approximately 11,209,619 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 11% from the average daily volume of 10,076,913 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MO shares. Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Altria Group Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $122.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $66.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.65.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.23 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Birinyi Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter worth about $212,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 2.1% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,952,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $128,837,000 after acquiring an additional 40,974 shares during the period. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 1.5% in the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 67,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,479,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.4% in the first quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 59.3% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,569,000 after acquiring an additional 14,490 shares during the period. 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.