<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 0.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $48.86 and last traded at $49.39. 1,923,155 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 9,935,194 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.74.</p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>These Stocks Are Using Buybacks to Unlock Big Gains for Investors</li></ul><p>Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Altria Group from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Altria Group from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a &#34;sell&#34; rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Altria Group from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Altria Group from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an &#34;underweight&#34; rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $48.20.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Altria Group</b></p><h2>Altria Group Price Performance</h2><ul><li>Dividend Increases You Can't Miss: 10 Big-Name Stocks</li></ul><p>The stock has a market capitalization of $85.11 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's fifty day moving average is $51.55 and its 200-day moving average is $47.71. </p><p>Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.04). Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 232.55% and a net margin of 42.25%. The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.11 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Altria Group Increases Dividend</h2><ul><li>Don’t Overlook Mosaic’s Challenges—They Might Spark Opportunity</li></ul><p>The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.23%. This is an increase from Altria Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.98. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 85.36%. </p><h2>Institutional Investors Weigh In On Altria Group</h2><p>A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Delta Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Altria Group by 2.9% in the second quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 7,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC now owns 1,283 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Zhang Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 18,454 shares of the company's stock valued at $942,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 0.3% in the second quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 76,595 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,489,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SP Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Altria Group by 2.5% during the second quarter. SP Asset Management LLC now owns 8,211 shares of the company's stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.41% of the company's stock. </p><h2>About Altria Group</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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 &amp; 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.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Altria Group</li><li>Industrial Products Stocks Investing </li><li>Survey Reveals: America’s Most Coveted Businesses in 2024</li><li>How Investors Can Find the Best Cheap Dividend Stocks</li><li>Top 3 Stocks to Play Oil’s Potential Comeback Rally</li><li>Most Volatile Stocks, What Investors Need to Know</li><li>Analysts See Growth in CrowdStrike Stock Despite July Setback</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. 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<p>Altria Group's stock (NYSE:MO) fell 0.7% to $39.86, with trading volume down 81% from average levels. Analysts have mixed ratings, with two sell, four hold, and one buy. The company reported Q2 earnings of $0.31 EPS, missing estimates, and had a revenue of $5.21 billion. Altria recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, yielding 8.23%. Institutional investors hold 57.41% of the stock. The average target price is $43.20, reflecting a consensus rating of "Hold."</p>

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Trading Down 0.7% - Here's Why