Altria's push into smoke-free products presents promising growth opportunities, but the ongoing decline in its cigarette business poses challenges for MO stock.
Altria has a long history of raising dividend payments during the past 50 years. The company is exploring new areas of growth outside of traditional tobacco products.
Altria Group achieved its 55th consecutive year of dividend increases, with quarterly dividends tripling since the 2008 spin-off. MO's high dividend yield of ~8% raises questions about sustainability, but financial metrics indicate strong coverage and potential for growth. I am trimming my position in this stock but will remain a loyal shareholder.
Tobacco stocks are doing well this year, even as most of them record slowing revenue growth metrics. Altria (MO) stock has jumped by over 32% while British American Tobacco (BAT) has risen by 24%.
Altria Group announced a 4% increase in its quarterly dividend, maintaining a high dividend yield of 7.8%. MO shares have outperformed the market, with a 20% return in the past five months, driven by its resilience to economic downturns. The company's solid operational performance, low valuation, and high dividend yield make it an attractive investment option for income-oriented investors.
The cigarette maker has one of the highest dividend rates in the S&P 500.
We believe that Kimberly-Clark stock (NYSE: KMB) is currently a better pick than the tobacco company, Altria stock (NYSE: MO), given its better valuation. The decision to invest often comes down to finding the best stocks within the scope of certain characteristics that suit an investment style.
Zacks.com users have recently been watching Altria (MO) quite a bit. Thus, it is worth knowing the facts that could determine the stock's prospects.
Altria is a popular stock among dividend investors with over 50 years of dividend increases and a strong share price performance the past 3 months, up double-digits. The NJOY acquisition has shown promise, with significant growth in shipment volume and market share, offsetting the decline in smokeable products. Despite risks from smokeable products, I expect management to continue expanding NJOY and rewarding investors with dividend increases for the foreseeable future.
MO has been handsomely rewarded for the US FDA marketing approval of NJOY's menthol-flavored e-cigarette products, with the acquisition highly accretive to its existing tobacco portfolio. The management has submitted NJOY ACE 2.0 device with access restriction technology, along with the resubmissions for blueberry and watermelon pod products that work exclusively with the 2.0 device. This is on top of the robust QoQ/ YoY growth in MO's oral tobacco pouches sale, on!, with H2'24 likely to bring forth similarly great numbers, attributed to Zyn's shortage.
Defensive stocks are clearly on everyone's mind after markets fell dramatically at the start of August. Investors worldwide moved into risk-off mode, fearing that the U.S. economy was about to hit a snag.
As temperatures rise and summer vacations approach, many investors are seeking ways to keep their portfolios thriving.