Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Down 2.2% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) fell 2.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $72.92 and last traded at $73.0520. 6,113,719 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average daily volume of 9,291,281 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.66.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MO. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Barclays increased their target price on Altria Group from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Altria Group from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.78.

Altria Group Price Performance

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $71.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.61. The company has a market cap of $120.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.45.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. Altria Group’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 88.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 6.8% in the second quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,905 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 82.8% in the 2nd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 99,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,182,000 after purchasing an additional 45,211 shares during the period. Whitener Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 39,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,832,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth $201,000. Finally, Tema ETFs LLC boosted its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 30,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is 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.