Street View: Marlboro keeps Altria's embers glowing

Altria

01/05/2026 14:21

** Altria MO.N beat Wall Street expectations for first-quarter profit and revenue on Thursday, as the Marlboro cigarette maker slowed market share losses and pushed further into discount cigarettes

** Sixteen analysts rate the stock "hold" on average; their median PT is $70.5 - data compiled by LSEG

BRAND STILL HAS FIRE

** Morgan Stanley ("Equal-weight," PT: $71) says behavior of tobacco consumers remains unaffected by higher gasoline prices - due to the Iran conflict - as consumer spending is currently being supported by larger tax refunds

** Morningstar (Fair Value: $68) says Marlboro remains Altria's main earnings engine, and that the slowing pace of long-term volume declines in combustibles is a positive development for its core business

** Jefferies ("Underperform," PT: $50) believes there is likely to be a positive reaction, supported by improvement at Marlboro, its core cash-generating brand and continued growth in discount cigarettes

** Panmure Liberum ("Buy," PT: $80) says Marlboro's market share increased meaningfully, but this did not translate into higher profits, and while volumes may decline, strong pricing reduces the concern

 (Reporting by Akriti Shah in Bengaluru)

 ((akriti.shah@thomsonreuters.com ; X, formerly Twitter: @AkritiShahh))