Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) Increases Dividend to $1.11 Per Share

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of 1.11 per share on Friday, October 9th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a 4.7% increase from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06.

Altria Group has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 56 consecutive years. Altria Group has a payout ratio of 76.5% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings decline. Research analysts expect Altria Group to earn $5.84 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 72.6%.

Altria Group Price Performance

Shares of MO opened at $67.66 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $70.11 and a 200-day moving average of $68.95. The company has a market capitalization of $112.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.46. Altria Group has a 1 year low of $54.70 and a 1 year high of $77.06.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.35 billion. Altria Group had a net margin of 33.99% and a negative return on equity of 315.29%. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. Altria Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.610-5.720 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group will post 5.67 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MO. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Altria Group from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.11.

Altria Group Company Profile

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.