Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report)’s share price was up 1.6% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $65.33 and last traded at $65.16. Approximately 12,874,052 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 11% from the average daily volume of 11,616,081 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.16.
More Altria Group News
Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Buy-side upgrades and dividend support — Two recent Seeking Alpha pieces upgrade MO to Buy, citing discounted valuation after recent volatility, a rich dividend yield (~6.8%), strong cash flow, and clarity on near‑term earnings/dividend growth that supports the income case for investors. Altria: Embrace Near-Term Uncertainties – Rich Dividends Pending Valuation Upgrading
- Positive Sentiment: Guidance clarity and medium‑term upside — A separate Seeking Alpha upgrade highlights Altria’s Q4/2025 results and management commentary that underpin expected growth in adjusted EPS and dividends through 2028, which supports a medium‑term re‑rating if execution continues. Altria: Buy For The Medium Term (Rating Upgrade)
- Positive Sentiment: Longer‑term growth case highlighted — Coverage pointing to Altria as a strong growth stock (Zacks) reinforces investor interest by emphasizing style/quality metrics that support continued capital returns and relative stability versus peers. Here’s Why Altria (MO) is a Strong Growth Stock
- Neutral Sentiment: Pricing power vs. volume — Analysts note Altria is using aggressive pricing to offset soft cigarette volumes; this preserves margins but raises questions about sustainability if volume erosion persists. Watch pricing cadence vs. volume trends. Can Pricing Power Offset Soft Cigarette Volumes at Altria?
- Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention and event visibility — Altria will present at the 2026 CAGNY conference, giving investors a chance for management Q&A and potential incremental clarity on smoke‑free strategy and capital allocation. Altria to Present at the 2026 Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference
- Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst attention — News outlets note conflicting analyst views and increased search/interest in MO; this can drive volume and short‑term volatility as investors parse valuation vs. execution risk. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Consumer Goods Companies: Altria Group (MO) and Universal Technical Institute (UTI)
- Negative Sentiment: Downgrade citing limited upside and slow smoke‑free progress — A Seeking Alpha downgrade to Hold warns the smokeable business (still the vast majority of revenue) is in secular decline, Marlboro share weakened in Q4 2025, and smoke‑free initiatives remain financially immaterial, all of which limit upside unless the transition accelerates. Altria Group: The Opportunity Window Has Closed (Rating Downgrade)
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $68.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $62.56.
Altria Group Stock Performance
The stock has a market cap of $109.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $59.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.86.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a net margin of 29.84% and a negative return on equity of 287.61%. The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. Altria Group’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.
Altria Group Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Altria Group’s payout ratio is 103.16%.
Altria Group announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Altria Group by 8.6% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 335,418 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,158,000 after purchasing an additional 26,624 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in Altria Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,677,000 after purchasing an additional 44,303 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 159,717,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,364,216,000 after buying an additional 1,599,923 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in shares of Altria Group by 155.4% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 31,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,062,000 after buying an additional 18,997 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth $126,471,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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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