Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report)’s stock price was down 3.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $70.16 and last traded at $70.2620. Approximately 11,064,719 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average daily volume of 10,097,653 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.79.
Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group
Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 results and product mix shift — Altria reported higher revenue and EPS year-over-year, highlighted growing oral-nicotine pouch sales and reiterated shareholder returns via dividends and buybacks, which drove a recent rally. Why Altria (MO) Is Up 7.4% After Strong Q1 Earnings And Rising Oral Nicotine Sales
- Positive Sentiment: Growth narrative reinforced — analysts and screens (Zacks style scores) are pointing to Altria’s combination of stable cash flow, margin strength and secular growth from new oral-nicotine offerings as drivers of multi-factor investor interest. Here’s Why Altria (MO) is a Strong Growth Stock
- Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal highlighted — recent articles include Altria in coverage of dependable dividend names, reinforcing its income-investor appeal and supporting the case for longer-term buy-and-hold holders. These 3 Dividend Stocks Have Raised Their Payouts for a Combined 187 Years. Here’s Why That Matters To Passive Income Lovers
- Neutral Sentiment: Trending/attention signals — Zacks flagged MO as a trending ticker, meaning higher retail attention which can amplify intraday moves but is not a directional fundamental change. Altria Group, Inc. (MO) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
- Neutral Sentiment: Relative sector performance discussion — coverage comparing Altria to consumer-staples peers highlights that MO has outperformed parts of the sector this year, which helps explain rotation and re-rating debate among investors. Are Consumer Staples Stocks Lagging Altria Group (MO) This Year?
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage / reports — recent analyst reports and research notes (Argus, Yahoo finance aggregation) provide updated models but no major consensus upgrade, so coverage is steady but not strongly bullish. Analyst Report: Altria Group Inc
- Negative Sentiment: Street stance is cautious — consensus analyst rating around “Hold” signals limited near-term upgrade momentum, which can cap gains after earnings-driven rallies and contribute to today’s pullback. Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts
- Neutral Sentiment: Various watchlist pieces weigh pros/cons — opportunistic coverage asks whether MO is “worth watching” now; useful for framing risk/reward but not a direct catalyst. Is Altria Stock Worth Watching Right Now
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
MO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $57.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $77.00 price objective on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.22.
Altria Group Trading Down 3.5%
The company has a market capitalization of $117.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.80 and a 200-day moving average of $62.70.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Altria Group Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is 88.70%.
Insider Activity at Altria Group
In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 180,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 62.9% during the 4th quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miller Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.
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.
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