Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Stock Price Down 1.6% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares slipped 1.6% to about $69.05 on Thursday with ~8.57M traded (15% below average); analysts are mixed with a consensus target of roughly $69.22 (5 Buy, 5 Hold, 2 Sell).
• Solid quarterly beat and guidance: Altria reported $1.32 EPS vs. $1.25 expected and $4.76B revenue vs. $4.58B, and set FY2026 guidance of $5.56–$5.72 EPS (analysts average 5.67).
• High dividend yield but elevated payout: the company pays a $1.06 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.24) for a ~6.1% yield, with a payout ratio around 88.7%, limiting cushion for increases.

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 1.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $69.00 and last traded at $69.0460. 8,573,869 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 10,081,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Altria Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Altria Group from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.22.

Altria Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $115.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.48. The firm's fifty day moving average is $66.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.74.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $4.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.58 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 34.34% and a negative return on equity of 298.69%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.23 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.560-5.72 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 25th were issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 88.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Altria Group news, SVP Charles N. Whitaker sold 27,908 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $1,885,743.56. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 180,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,221,318.33. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 bought and sold shares of MO. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 1.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,522,209 shares of the company's stock valued at $232,677,000 after buying an additional 44,303 shares in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 202,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,073,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $797,587,000 after purchasing an additional 814,665 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 144,725 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,561,000 after purchasing an additional 17,429 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 796,225 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,599,000 after purchasing an additional 85,177 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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