Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.
Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on MO. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Altria Group from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 13th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Altria Group from $49.00 to $47.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Altria Group from $40.40 to $39.20 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 6th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Altria Group from $46.50 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.53.
Altria Group Trading Up 1.1 %
MO stock opened at $42.20 on Tuesday. Altria Group has a 12-month low of $39.06 and a 12-month high of $51.57. The stock has a market cap of $74.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.59, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average is $41.42 and its 200 day moving average is $43.18.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.01). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 237.91% and a net margin of 35.58%. The firm had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.28 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at Altria Group
In other Altria Group news, Director Robert Matthews Davis bought 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $40.50 per share, with a total value of $48,600.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $343,156.50. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MO. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Northwest Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Altria Group by 103.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.94% of the company’s stock.
About Altria Group
Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company provides cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; cigars and pipe tobacco principally under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco products and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; and on! oral nicotine pouches.