06:25 AM EDT, 04/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- CFRA, an independent research provider, has provided MT Newswires with the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:

We raise our 12-month target by $5 to $50, based on a 2026 P/E of 9.1x and a justified discount to its five-year mean forward P/E of 9.6x. We raise our adjusted EPS estimates by $0.05 to $5.35 for 2025 and by $0.05 to $5.50 for 2026. MO posts Q1 adjusted EPS of $1.23 vs. $1.15 (+6%), well above the $1.19 consensus. The beat was driven by stronger-than-expected gross margins, as net revenue fell 4.2% to $4.52B ($100M above consensus) and gross margin expanded 240 bps to 71.9%. MO's total shipments fell, driven by a 13.4% Y/Y drop in smokeable tobacco units. Oral tobacco units fell 5.0%. We think there was a pull-forward impact on sales in late 2024 given some of the actions of the FDA under the Biden administration, most notably a proposed ban on menthol sales, which contributed to soft sales volumes in Q1. MO maintained full year adjusted EPS guidance of $5.30-$5.45 (current consensus = $5.34). We maintain a Sell, noting that the recent rise in MO's stock price has dramatically outpaced expected EPS growth.