Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 319.43% and a net margin of 37.89%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.30 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Altria Group’s conference call:

• Altria grew adjusted diluted EPS by 4.4% in 2025 and returned about $8 billion to shareholders via $7B of dividends and $1B of buybacks, with $1B of repurchase capacity remaining.
• on! PLUS received FDA marketing-granted orders for select flavors/strengths, shipments resumed in initial states and a national rollout is planned in H1 2026, with Helix expected to remain profitable in 2026 and early consumer feedback favorable.
• Altria recorded a $1.3 billion non-cash impairment on its e-vapor intangible assets and goodwill after persistent illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products and slower-than-expected enforcement created significant headwinds for the e-vapor business.
• 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance is $5.56–$5.72 (2.5%–5.5% growth) with growth weighted to H2 as Altria invests $300–$375M in manufacturing/import-export (duty-drawback) capabilities that management says have strong payback potential but raise near-term costs.

Altria Group Trading Down 3.7%

NYSE:MO traded down $2.34 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $60.79. 9,406,976 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,350,080. Altria Group has a fifty-two week low of $50.08 and a fifty-two week high of $68.60. The company has a market capitalization of $102.05 billion, a PE ratio of 11.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.73.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.0%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.00.

Altria Group declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company forecasts 2026 profit above analysts’ estimates, citing price increases on cigarettes and oral tobacco that should bolster full?year earnings. Marlboro-maker Altria forecasts 2026 profit above estimates after price hikes (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised Altria’s price target and maintained a Buy rating, providing analyst support that can cushion selling pressure. UBS lifts Altria (MO) price target, keeps buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated a goal of “progressive” dividend rate growth, reinforcing income appeal for dividend investors and supporting demand for the stock among yield-focused holders. Altria aims for ‘progressive’ dividend rate growth (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released its quarterly results and a 2026 guidance package (mixed details across metrics); investors will parse the slide deck and call for incremental color. Altria Reports 2025 Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Results; Provides 2026 Earnings Guidance (Business Wire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Board expanded and Salvatore Mancuso was added as director and CEO — governance change that may be seen as a continuity/leadership signal but whose impact will depend on execution. Altria Expands Board, Names Mancuso Director and CEO (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $1.30 missed consensus by $0.02 and revenue was essentially flat year-over-year; cigarette shipment volumes declined, weighing on profit and prompting downside near term. Altria (MO) Lags Q4 Earnings Estimates (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Company-filed consolidated financial statements highlighted leverage levels — a reminder that capital structure and cash flow must support dividend and strategy, which could concern some investors. Altria Files 2025 Consolidated Financial Statements Highlighting Leverage (TipRanks)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 286.7% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,479,699 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,321,262 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Altria Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $89,460,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Altria Group by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,272,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $346,373,000 after purchasing an additional 629,031 shares in the last quarter. Man Group plc raised its holdings in Altria Group by 938.5% during the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 613,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,518,000 after purchasing an additional 554,290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the second quarter worth $29,424,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

Altria Group Company Profile

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.