Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.67.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. Argus raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Altria Group stock opened at $50.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $86.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.58, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.65. Altria Group has a fifty-two week low of $39.06 and a fifty-two week high of $54.95. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $51.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.67.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.04). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 232.55% and a net margin of 42.25%. The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 16th. This is a boost from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.36%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MO. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 12,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 953 shares during the period. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 4th quarter valued at $217,000. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 13,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 603 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.