Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target on Altria Group (MO) by $4 to $68, citing higher-than-expected operating costs. Despite near-term headwinds, the firm reaffirmed its Buy rating, pointing to the tobacco giant's resilient dividend profile and long-term earnings guidance.
Altria Group expects improved second-half earnings by leveraging a U.S. tobacco tax rebate tied to increased exports, as the Marlboro maker seeks new avenues for growth in a shrinking cigarette market.
Altria Group names CFO Salvatore Mancuso as its incoming CEO, accelerating its smoke-free transition while taking a massive impairment charge on past investments, signaling a sharp strategic reassessment.
As interest rates retreat, income investors are revisiting blue-chip dividend stocks. Altria (MO), with its 7.1% yield and decades of payout growth, presents a compelling, if controversial, case for capital preservation and income generation.
Altria Group (MO) posted stronger-than-expected Q4 revenue, driven by its core tobacco brands and oral nicotine products, but saw its shares fall as profit margins contracted sharply. The company is betting on a national rollout of its ON! Plus pouches and manufacturing upgrades to fuel its smoke-free future.
Altria Group reported adjusted earnings growth and robust shareholder returns for 2025, even as it grapples with a rapidly transforming nicotine market dominated by illicit flavored vapes and intense competition in oral tobacco.
