Clorox's 48-Year Dividend Growth Outshines Altria
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Source: Fool
- Altria's Business Challenges: Altria (MO) experienced a 10.6% decline in cigarette volumes during the first nine months of 2025, continuing a trend of 10.2% and 9.9% declines in 2024 and 2023 respectively, indicating long-term weakness in its core business, despite attempts to offset this through price increases and stock buybacks.
- Clorox's Market Advantage: Clorox (CLX) holds leading positions in many consumer goods segments and is the only major branded competitor in several product categories, providing a significant advantage in shelf space and advertising, even as it faces challenges from post-pandemic demand declines and inflation.
- Innovation-Driven Growth: Clorox is rolling out scented trash bags that combine its cleaning product scents with its trash bag business, showcasing its ongoing commitment to product innovation, which has historically driven long-term business growth.
- Dividend Stability: Clorox has increased its dividend for 48 consecutive years, just two years shy of Dividend King status, demonstrating its stability in uncertain market conditions and appealing to income-seeking investors.
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Analyst Views on MO
Wall Street analysts forecast MO stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MO is 65.60 USD with a low forecast of 57.00 USD and a high forecast of 72.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
6 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
1 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 63.130
Low
57.00
Averages
65.60
High
72.00
Current: 63.130
Low
57.00
Averages
65.60
High
72.00
About MO
Altria Group, Inc. operates a portfolio of tobacco products for United States tobacco consumers aged 21+. Its segments include smokeable products and oral tobacco products. The smokeable products segment consists of combustible cigarettes and machine-made large cigars. The oral tobacco products segment includes moist smokeless tobacco (MST) products and oral nicotine pouches. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include manufacturers of both combustible and smoke-free products. In combustibles, it owns Philip Morris USA Inc. (PM USA), and John Middleton Co. (Middleton), which are cigarette manufacturers. Its smoke-free portfolio includes ownership of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (USSTC), a global MST manufacturer, Helix Innovations LLC (Helix), a manufacturer of oral nicotine pouches, and NJOY, LLC (NJOY), an e-vapor manufacturer with a commercialized product portfolio. The brand portfolios of its operating companies include Marlboro, Black & Mild, Copenhagen, Skoal, on! and NJOY.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
ALTRIA STOCK FALLS 1.3% FOLLOWING Q4 EPS DISAPPOINTMENT
Austrian Economic Performance: Austria's economy has experienced a downturn, with a reported decline of 1.3% following the fourth quarter.
Earnings Per Share (EPS) Miss: The decline in economic performance coincides with a miss in earnings per share (EPS) expectations for the quarter.
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Altria Group Faces Alarming Market Share Losses
- Market Share Decline: Altria Group's domestic cigarette shipment volumes fell by 7.9% in Q4, indicating a continued decline in smoking rates in the U.S., which puts pressure on its profitability.
- Marlboro Brand Struggles: Altria's Marlboro brand saw its retail market share drop to 39.8%, a year-over-year decline of 1.5 percentage points, reflecting weakened brand competitiveness.
- Oral Tobacco Product Setbacks: Despite rising demand for oral tobacco products, Altria's shipment volumes fell by 6.3%, with its share in the fast-growing nicotine pouch market declining by 5.3 percentage points to 13.4%, indicating competitive challenges.
- Stable Profits: Although shipment volumes decreased, Altria's net revenues declined by less than 1% to $5.1 billion, largely due to price hikes offsetting lower volumes, with management projecting adjusted earnings growth of 2.5% to 5.5% in 2026.
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