Altria Group (NYSE:MO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 5.560-5.720 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 5.590. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Altria Group from $63.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus upgraded shares of Altria Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Altria Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.00.

Altria Group Stock Down 5.3%

Shares of Altria Group stock opened at $59.78 on Friday. Altria Group has a 12-month low of $50.08 and a 12-month high of $68.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.47.

Altria Group (NYSE:MO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.32 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 319.43% and a net margin of 37.89%.Altria Group’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Altria Group will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a $1.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.1%. Altria Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.92%.

Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Key Headlines Impacting Altria Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management issued 2026 EPS guidance of 5.56–5.72, which sits around sell‑side expectations and signals confidence that price increases and cost discipline will support profit growth. Altria forecasts 2026 profit above estimates (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: UBS lifted Altria’s price target and kept a buy rating, which can attract buyers and temper downside after the quarter. UBS lifts price target (MSN)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and capital return remain supportive: management reiterated dividend growth and continued buybacks; the company highlights on! pouch growth and integration of NJOY as potential offset to cigarette declines. This underpins income investor demand. Is Altria becoming more than an income stock? (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Top‑line was essentially stable: Q4 revenue (~$5.08B) was roughly in line with expectations even as EPS was flat year‑over‑year, suggesting resilient pricing but limited near‑term growth upside. Q4 and FY2025 results (BusinessWire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate governance update: the board expanded and named Salvatore Mancuso as a director; this is notable but not an immediate earnings driver. Board expansion and new director (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS missed estimates by $0.02 and cigarette shipment volumes declined — smokeable revenue weakness remains the main headwind despite price increases. That volume trend is the key near‑term risk to organic growth. Earnings fall short amid lower cigarette sales (AP) Q4 earnings lag estimates (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet/metrics watch: company filings flagged leverage levels and public summaries showed a negative reported ROE (driven by accounting and capital returns), which may worry some investors focused on capital structure and credit metrics. Filings highlight leverage (TipRanks)

Institutional Trading of Altria Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MO. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Gould Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Altria Group during the third quarter worth about $39,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Altria Group during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Altria Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $82,000. 57.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.