Altria (MO) ended the recent trading session at $60.25, demonstrating a +1.01% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.79% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.94%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.92%.
The owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker's shares have seen an increase of 0.69% over the last month, surpassing the Consumer Staples sector's gain of 0.23% and falling behind the S&P 500's gain of 5.22%.
The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Altria in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on July 30, 2025. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.36, signifying a 3.82% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $5.23 billion, reflecting a 0.98% fall from the equivalent quarter last year.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $5.37 per share and a revenue of $20.22 billion, indicating changes of +4.88% and -1.1%, respectively, from the former year.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Altria. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits.
Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged. Currently, Altria is carrying a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Investors should also note Altria's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 11.11. This signifies no noticeable deviation in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 11.11 for its industry.
It is also worth noting that MO currently has a PEG ratio of 3.49. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Tobacco industry stood at 3.04 at the close of the market yesterday.
The Tobacco industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 90, which puts it in the top 37% of all 250+ industries.
The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.
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Altria Group, Inc. (MO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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