Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading 1.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) traded up 1.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $69.29 and last traded at $69.13. Approximately 6,201,857 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 9,369,009 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. UBS Group upped their price target on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

Altria Group Trading Up 1.6%

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $70.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.91. The company has a market cap of $115.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.46.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in Altria Group by 1.1% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 126,073,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,070,964,000 after acquiring an additional 1,325,175 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,830,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,275,886,000 after buying an additional 1,147,141 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Altria Group by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 65,516,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,777,931,000 after buying an additional 6,265,780 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Altria Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 45,984,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,651,383,000 after buying an additional 729,999 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $1,806,782,000. 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.