Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Shares Down 1.9% – Here’s What Happened

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 2nd, 2026

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO – Get Free Report)’s stock price fell 1.9% on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $66.91 and last traded at $67.4230. Approximately 7,517,941 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 9,189,482 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.72.

Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Altria Group this week:

Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains supportive: Altria’s consensus price target is approximately $70.11, above the recently reported share price, implying potential upside if earnings remain on track. A separate report also cited a 10.19% increase in the consensus target, although the quoted target is denominated in Mexican pesos and is less directly comparable. Altria Group consensus price target article
Positive Sentiment: Altria continues to offer a high income yield, and some dividend-focused analysis argues that its tobacco business generates sufficient cash flow to remain attractive relative to other income investments, even with Treasury yields above 5%. Dividend stocks and Treasury yields article
Neutral Sentiment: Recent valuation coverage is mixed rather than signaling a new fundamental catalyst. Altria’s roughly 14.1 price-to-earnings ratio and strong five-year total return support the case that the stock may be reasonably valued, but investors are questioning whether future earnings growth justifies the valuation. Altria valuation article
Negative Sentiment: The main bearish concern is dividend risk. Commentary highlights Altria’s shrinking core cigarette business, unsuccessful smoke-free transition, negative shareholders’ equity and narrowing margins, arguing that the approximately 6.6% yield and long record of dividend increases may not be as secure as they appear. Altria dividend risk article
Negative Sentiment: Altria’s recent decline has left its 30-day and 90-day returns negative, despite a positive year-to-date performance. The latest weakness reflects broader concerns about momentum and whether the upcoming earnings report can reassure investors about revenue, margins and full-year EPS guidance of $5.61–$5.72. Altria stock valuation and earnings article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MO has been the subject of several research reports. Freedom Broker raised shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays lowered their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $58.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Altria Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Altria Group from $76.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $70.11.

View Our Latest Analysis on MO

Altria Group Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $68.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.21. The company has a market cap of $111.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Altria Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $1.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This is a positive change from Altria Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. This represents a $4.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 93.67%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kathryn McQuade bought 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.62 per share, for a total transaction of $101,430.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 114,929 shares in the company, valued at $7,771,498.98. This represents a 1.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Altria Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 6.1% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 9,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 2.2% in the third quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 12,477 shares of the company’s stock valued at $840,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Altria Group by 3.6% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 494,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,584,000 after purchasing an additional 17,000 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Altria Group by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,829,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,506,000 after purchasing an additional 214,108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth $128,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.41% of the company’s stock.

About Altria Group

(Get Free Report)

Altria Group, Inc is a U.S.-based holding company focused primarily on tobacco and nicotine products. Through its operating companies, Altria manufactures and markets cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine products and electronic cigarettes. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Marlboro cigarettes, Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco, Black & Mild cigars, NJOY e-cigarettes and on! nicotine pouches.

Altria’s principal businesses include Philip Morris USA, the largest U.S.