The most recent trading session ended with Altria (MO) standing at $42.71, reflecting a +0.23% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 1.26% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.86%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 1.54%.
Coming into today, shares of the owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker had lost 0.7% in the past month. In that same time, the Consumer Staples sector lost 4.79%, while the S&P 500 lost 3.67%.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Altria in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on October 26, 2023. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $1.29, showcasing a 0.78% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $5.48 billion, up 1.25% from the year-ago period.
Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $4.95 per share and revenue of $20.81 billion. These totals would mark changes of +2.27% and +0.6%, respectively, from last year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Altria. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. 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 witnessed a 1.08% decrease. At present, Altria boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
From a valuation perspective, Altria is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 8.61. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 8.78.
We can additionally observe that MO currently boasts a PEG ratio of 2.3. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. Tobacco stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.17 based on yesterday's closing prices.
The Tobacco industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 238, placing it within the bottom 6% of over 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.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
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