Altria (MO) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know

Altria (MO) closed at $51.04 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.62% move from the prior day. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 1.83% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 1.65%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 2.45%.The the stock of owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker has fallen by 5.12% in the past month, leading the Consumer Staples sector's loss of 7.07% and undershooting the S&P 500's loss of 3.31%.The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Altria in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on January 30, 2025. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $1.28, indicating an 8.47% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $5.04 billion, indicating a 0.29% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Altria. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. 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 ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.24% upward. Altria is holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now.In the context of valuation, Altria is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 9.63. This represents no noticeable deviation compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 9.63.Also, we should mention that MO has a PEG ratio of 2.7. 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. MO's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.32 as of yesterday's close.The Tobacco industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 174, this industry ranks in the bottom 31% of all industries, numbering over 250.The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual 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.Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.Free Today: Profiting from The Future’s Brightest Energy SourceThe demand for electricity is growing exponentially. At the same time, we’re working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. Nuclear energy is an ideal replacement.Leaders from the US and 21 other countries recently committed to TRIPLING the world’s nuclear energy capacities. This aggressive transition could mean tremendous profits for nuclear-related stocks – and investors who get in on the action early enough.Our urgent report, Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback, explores the key players and technologies driving this opportunity, including 3 standout stocks poised to benefit the most.Download Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback 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