Altria (MO) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

In the latest close session, Altria (MO) was down 1.33% at $58.39. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.79% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.14%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.38%. The stock of owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker has risen by 0.97% in the past month, lagging the Consumer Staples sector's gain of 2.5% and overreaching the S&P 500's gain of 0.87%.The upcoming earnings release of Altria will be of great interest to investors. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $1.3, marking a 0.78% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $5.03 billion, down 1.48% from the year-ago period. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $5.44 per share and a revenue of $20.1 billion, demonstrating changes of +6.25% and -1.66%, respectively, from the preceding year. Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Altria. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential. Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable 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 witnessed an unchanged state. As of now, Altria holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Altria has a Forward P/E ratio of 10.88 right now. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 12.56. We can additionally observe that MO currently boasts a PEG ratio of 3.36. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Tobacco industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.91. The Tobacco industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 34, finds itself in the top 14% echelons of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions. Zacks Naming Top 10 Stocks for 2026Want to be tipped off early to our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2026? History suggests their performance could be sensational.From 2012 (when our Director of Research Sheraz Mian assumed responsibility for the portfolio) through November, 2025, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,530.8%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +570.3%.Now Sheraz is combing through 4,400 companies to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2026. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 5. Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Altria Group, Inc. (MO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks