Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Altria (MO) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

Altria (MO - Free Report) closed at $46.48 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.52% move from the prior day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.41%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.11%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 6.67%.

Heading into today, shares of the owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker had gained 2.41% over the past month, outpacing the Consumer Staples sector's gain of 0.78% and the S&P 500's loss of 4.4% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from Altria as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, Altria is projected to report earnings of $1.18 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 8.26%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $5.13 billion, up 0.83% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $4.84 per share and revenue of $20.79 billion. These totals would mark changes of +4.99% and -1.52%, respectively, from last year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Altria. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.03% lower. Altria currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Altria is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 9.56. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 9.41.

Meanwhile, MO's PEG ratio is currently 2.39. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Tobacco stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.95 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Tobacco industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 26, putting it in the top 11% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow MO in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Altria Group, Inc. (MO) - free report >>

Published in