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Altria Group, Inc. (MO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
Altria (MO) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future.
Shares of this owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker have returned -5.1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -3.5% change. The Zacks Tobacco industry, to which Altria belongs, has lost 6.1% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term?
Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.
Earnings Estimate Revisions
Here at Zacks, we prioritize appraising the change in the projection of a company's future earnings over anything else. That's because we believe the present value of its future stream of earnings is what determines the fair value for its stock.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
For the current quarter, Altria is expected to post earnings of $1.28 per share, indicating a change of +8.5% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $5.12 points to a change of +3.4% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed +0.2%.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $5.33 indicates a change of +4.1% from what Altria is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +0.2%.
With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for Altria.
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Revenue Growth Forecast
Even though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.
For Altria, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $5.04 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +0.3%. For the current and next fiscal years, $20.38 billion and $20.37 billion estimates indicate -0.6% and -0.1% changes, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise History
Altria reported revenues of $5.34 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +1.3%. EPS of $1.38 for the same period compares with $1.28 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.29 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +1.05%. The EPS surprise was +1.47%.
Over the last four quarters, Altria surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates just once over this period.
Valuation
Without considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S) and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an An is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Altria is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
Conclusion
The facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Altria. However, its Zacks Rank #2 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term.
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