Key Points
- Director Kathryn McQuade purchased 1,500 Altria shares at an average price of $67.62, investing approximately $101,430 and increasing her direct ownership to 114,929 shares.
- Altria raised its quarterly dividend to $1.11 per share, equivalent to $4.44 annually and a yield of about 6.4%; the dividend is payable October 9 to shareholders of record September 15.
- The company slightly missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $1.48 in EPS versus $1.50 expected, while revenue rose 1.2% year over year to $5.36 billion. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $70.11.
Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) Director Kathryn Mcquade bought 1,500 shares of Altria Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 114,929 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,771,498.98. This trade represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Altria Group Stock Up 0.3%
Shares of MO stock opened at $69.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $69.41 and a 200 day moving average of $69.11. Altria Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $54.70 and a 52 week high of $77.06.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 315.29% and a net margin of 33.99%.The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.
Altria Group Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $1.11 per share. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Altria Group's payout ratio is presently 93.67%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Altria Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Altria Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.11.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Altria Group
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MO. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,806,782,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Altria Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,104,566,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at $631,606,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 6,265,780 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in Altria Group in the second quarter worth approximately $349,743,000. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Altria Group
Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Director Kathryn B. McQuade purchased 1,500 shares of Altria at an average price of $67.62, increasing her direct holdings by 1.32%. The roughly $101,000 insider purchase may signal confidence that the stock’s valuation and dividend remain attractive. SEC insider transaction filing
- Positive Sentiment: Recent investment coverage continues to highlight MO as an income-oriented stock, citing its multidecade record of dividend increases, approximately 6%-plus yield, and relatively attractive valuation. Those features may support demand from retirement and dividend-focused investors. Dividend streak article
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary says Altria and other tobacco companies are responding to declining cigarette volumes and rising costs by expanding smoke-free products and adapting to changing consumer preferences. The strategy offers long-term growth potential, but execution and category adoption remain important risks. Tobacco industry dynamics article
- Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha downgraded Altria to Hold, citing technical consolidation below its 50-day moving average and mixed second-quarter results. Smokeable products remained resilient, but oral tobacco revenue fell 5.2% year over year, raising concerns about growth momentum despite the stock’s low forward valuation and high yield. Altria rating downgrade article
About Altria Group
(
Get Free Report)
Altria Group, Inc (NYSE: MO) is a tobacco and nicotine company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Through its operating companies, Altria develops, manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, oral tobacco products, nicotine pouches and electronic vaping products, with its business focused primarily on the United States.
Altria's smokeable products portfolio includes Marlboro cigarettes, which are manufactured and marketed in the U.S. by Philip Morris USA, as well as Black & Mild cigars through John Middleton.
Featured Stories
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
