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

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.67.

A number of research firms have weighed in on MO. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Altria Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Altria Group by 154.4% in the first quarter. Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. BNP Paribas purchased a new position in Altria Group in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Altria Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MO opened at $51.70 on Thursday. Altria Group has a 52-week low of $39.06 and a 52-week high of $54.95. The company has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.57.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.39 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.89%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.36%.

Altria Group Company Profile

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.