Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Down 1.6% – What’s Next?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) shares were down 1.6% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $65.77 and last traded at $65.87. 8,926,781 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 5% from the average session volume of 9,386,607 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $71.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Stock Down 1.6%

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $70.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.81. The company has a market cap of $109.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Altria Group

In other news, Director Ellen R. Strahlman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.56, for a total transaction of $145,120.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 25,102 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,821,401.12. This represents a 7.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Ennis Debra J. Kelly sold 5,790 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.25, for a total transaction of $418,327.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 73,809 shares in the company, valued at $5,332,700.25. This trade represents a 7.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MO. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 668,243 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,531,000 after purchasing an additional 44,267 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 59.3% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 38,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,569,000 after purchasing an additional 14,490 shares during the last quarter. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,438,000. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in Altria Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,336,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Altria Group by 206.7% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 75,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,358,000 after buying an additional 50,931 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.