Wall Street analysts forecast that Altria (MO) will report quarterly earnings of $1.17 per share in its upcoming release, pointing to a year-over-year increase of 1.7%. It is anticipated that revenues will amount to $4.64 billion, exhibiting a decline of 1.7% compared to the year-ago quarter.

Over the past 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been adjusted downward by 1.9% to its current level. This demonstrates the covering analysts' collective reassessment of their initial projections during this period.

Before a company reveals its earnings, it is vital to take into account any changes in earnings projections. These revisions play a pivotal role in predicting the possible reactions of investors toward the stock. Multiple empirical studies have consistently shown a strong association between trends in earnings estimates and the short-term price movements of a stock.

While investors typically use consensus earnings and revenue estimates as a yardstick to evaluate the company's quarterly performance, scrutinizing analysts' projections for some of the company's key metrics can offer a more comprehensive perspective.

Given this perspective, it's time to examine the average forecasts of specific Altria metrics that are routinely monitored and predicted by Wall Street analysts.

The combined assessment of analysts suggests that 'Net revenue- All Other/ Financial Services' will likely reach $36.00 million. The estimate indicates a change of +89.5% from the prior-year quarter.

The collective assessment of analysts points to an estimated 'Revenues net of excise taxes- Oral tobacco products' of $633.90 million. The estimate indicates a year-over-year change of +1.3%.

The average prediction of analysts places 'Revenues net of excise taxes- Smokeable Products' at $3.97 billion. The estimate indicates a change of -2.6% from the prior-year quarter.

According to the collective judgment of analysts, 'Operating Income (Loss)/ Reported OCI- Oral tobacco products' should come in at $448.82 million. Compared to the current estimate, the company reported $435 million in the same quarter of the previous year.

Analysts predict that the 'Adjusted OCI- Smokeable Products' will reach $2.48 billion. The estimate compares to the year-ago value of $2.45 billion.

View all Key Company Metrics for Altria here>>>

Shares of Altria have experienced a change of +1.4% in the past month compared to the -5.1% move of the Zacks S&P 500 composite. With a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), MO is expected to underperform the overall market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Altria Group, Inc. (MO) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research