Altria Group Inc (MO)

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Altria downgraded to sell on concerns about headwind posed by new minimum age for buying tobacco
By: MarketWatch | January 17, 2020

CFRA downgraded Altria Group Inc. stock MO, +0.16% to sell from hold on Friday and said it expects a change in the minimum age for buying tobacco is a big headwind. Analyst Garrett Nelson lowered his 12-month price target to $44 from $50. "We think recent federal legislation raising the minimum purchase age to 21 for tobacco products presents a significant long-term headwind for MO," Nelson wrote in a note. "According to CDC data, 12.5% of middle school and 31.2% of U.S. high school students reported they were currently use of some form of tobacco product in 2019 (mostly e-cigarettes)." The company may be forced to make more "draconian" cost cuts to support profit, he wrote. The company may also need to write down part of the value of its 35% stake in e-cigarette company Juul, which has become the subject of regulatory and and criminal investigations over allegations it targeted teenagers in advertising. Altria shares were up 0.3% Friday and have gained 8.9% in the last 12 months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.06%, which counts it as a member, has gained 20% and the S&P 500 SPX, +0.13% has gained 26%.

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