Altria (MO) Sees a More Significant Dip Than Broader Market: Some Facts to Know

The latest trading session saw Altria (MO) ending at $52.60, denoting a -1.63% adjustment from its last day's close. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.04%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.07%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.05%.Prior to today's trading, shares of the owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker had lost 7.25% over the past month. This has lagged the Consumer Staples sector's loss of 4.32% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.05% in that time.Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Altria in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.28, reflecting an 8.47% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $5.04 billion, up 0.29% from the prior-year quarter.For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $5.12 per share and a revenue of $20.38 billion, representing changes of +3.43% and -0.61%, respectively, from the prior year.Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Altria. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.2% upward. As of now, Altria holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).Investors should also note Altria's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 10.44. This expresses no noticeable deviation compared to the average Forward P/E of 10.44 of its industry.Meanwhile, MO's PEG ratio is currently 2.95. 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. The Tobacco was holding an average PEG ratio of 2.55 at yesterday's closing price.The Tobacco industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 199, placing it within the bottom 21% of over 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.Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.Free: 5 Stocks to Buy As Infrastructure Spending SoarsTrillions of dollars in Federal funds have been earmarked to repair and upgrade America’s infrastructure. In addition to roads and bridges, this flood of cash will pour into AI data centers, renewable energy sources and more.In, you’ll discover 5 surprising stocks positioned to profit the most from the spending spree that’s just getting started in this space.Download How to Profit from the Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Boom absolutely free today.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 ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks