<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of &#34;Hold&#34; from the eight brokerages that are  covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned  a buy recommendation to  the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.29.</p><ul><li>3 Cash Cow Stocks Leading Their Sectors in Free Cash Flow Margins</li></ul><p>MO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America upgraded Altria Group from a &#34;neutral&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating and increased their price target for the stock from $55.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Altria Group from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st.</p><p><b>View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MO</b></p><h2>Altria Group Price Performance</h2><ul><li>3 Dividend Picks Standing Strong as Bond Yields Fall</li></ul><p>MO stock opened at $58.17 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $98.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.56. Altria Group has a 1-year low of $40.65 and a 1-year high of $59.67. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $55.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $53.60. </p><p>Altria Group (NYSE:MO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The company reported $1.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.01. Altria Group had a net margin of 46.90% and a negative return on equity of 258.72%.  As a group, analysts expect that  Altria Group will post 5.32 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Altria Group Announces Dividend</h2><ul><li>Volatility Is Back: 3 Stocks To Cushion the S&amp;P 500's Swings</li></ul><p>The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.01%. Altria Group's dividend payout ratio  is presently 62.29%. </p><h2>Institutional Trading of Altria Group</h2><p>Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of  Altria Group by 2.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,159,890 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,679,000 after purchasing an additional 46,697 shares during the period.  Czech National Bank grew its position in  Altria Group by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 367,469 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,215,000 after buying an additional 19,893 shares in the last quarter.  CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in  Altria Group by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 240,454 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,573,000 after buying an additional 12,011 shares during the period.  Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of  Altria Group by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 706,967 shares of the company's stock worth $36,084,000 after buying an additional 54,102 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of  Altria Group by 48.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 89,761 shares of the company's stock worth $4,581,000 after acquiring an additional 29,421 shares during the period. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </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>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Altria Group</li><li>Should You Add These Warren Buffett Stocks to Your Portfolio?</li><li>Venezuelan Tariffs Could Power These 3 Diesel-Driven Winners</li><li>Consumer Discretionary Stocks Explained</li><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 03/24 - 03/28</li><li>Basic Materials Stocks Investing</li><li>Should You Buy UPS Stock Now? Deep Dive Into Its 5-Year Low</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1P?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="600" height="385" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPU1P"/></p><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. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Altria Group Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Altria Group, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Altria Group wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Altria Group currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from eight brokerages. Two analysts recommend selling, three suggest holding, and three advise buying the stock. The average 12-month price target is $53.29. Recent reports include Bank of America's upgrade to "buy" with a price target of $65.00, while Morgan Stanley lowered its target to $53.00. Altria's stock opened at $58.17, with a market cap of $98.35 billion and a dividend yield of 7.01%.</p>

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts