Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $79.87 and last traded at $79.5680, with a volume of 1,837,835 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $78.01.
Key Altria Group News
Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Altria reported third-quarter 2026 sales of $5.441 billion, net income of $2.518 billion and continuing-operations EPS of $1.51. The company also extended its long-running dividend-increase streak, continued share repurchases and pointed to growth in its on! nicotine pouch brand—supporting the case for earnings and cash returns. Are Strong Earnings Altering The Investment Case For Altria Stock (MO)?
- Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted MO’s high shareholder yield and appeal to investors seeking defensive income amid market volatility. One characterized the stock as trading in a buy zone as investors rotated toward consumer staples. Meet the High-Yield Dividend Stock Quietly Crushing the S&P 500 4 Stocks With Solid Shareholder Yields to Buy Amid US Market Decline Altria Stock Trades In Buy Zone As Investors Shift To Defense
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether Altria’s dividend adequately compensates investors for its share-price risks highlights the need to weigh income against potential capital returns. The supplied article summary does not detail a new company-specific concern. Is Altria’s Dividend Enough To Make Up For Its Share Price?
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms recently issued reports on MO. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Altria Group from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $71.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.67.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Altria Group
Altria Group Trading Down 1.9%
The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $71.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.15. The company has a market capitalization of $126.55 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 330.66% and a net margin of 34.51%. The company had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.70 EPS for the current year.
Altria Group Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $1.11 dividend. This represents a $4.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.74%.
Insider Activity at Altria Group
In other Altria Group news, Director Kathryn McQuade bought 1,500 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MO. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 14,490 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,911,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 26.9% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,164,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,800,000 after buying an additional 246,702 shares during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 21.6% during the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 95,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,278,000 after acquiring an additional 16,877 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Altria Group by 2.1% during 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. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Altria Group
Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based tobacco and nicotine company whose businesses focus primarily on the domestic market. Its products include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, oral nicotine products and e-vapor products.
Altria’s portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, made by Philip Morris USA; Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco products, made by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and products from John Middleton and Helix Innovations. The company also owns NJOY, an e-vapor brand.
The company was established as Philip Morris Companies Inc and adopted the Altria name in 2003.
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