Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Several other analysts have also commented on MO. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $60.00 price target on Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on Altria Group from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their price target on Altria Group from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.57.

Altria Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of MO traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $59.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,433,515 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,803,451. The company's 50-day moving average is $57.45 and its 200-day moving average is $54.72. Altria Group has a 52-week low of $43.37 and a 52-week high of $60.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.05, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.54.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 258.72% and a net margin of 46.90%. Altria Group's revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Altria Group will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the third quarter valued at $2,041,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Altria Group by 35.9% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 13,174 shares of the company's stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 3,478 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 42.4% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,777 shares of the company's stock worth $958,000 after purchasing an additional 5,593 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in Altria Group by 48.8% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 89,761 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,581,000 after purchasing an additional 29,421 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Altria Group by 10.7% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 218,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,168,000 after buying an additional 21,128 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand.

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