We recently published a list of 10 Low PE High Dividend Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) stands against other low PE high dividend stocks to buy now.

A low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio indicates that a stock may be undervalued relative to its earnings, presenting a potential buying opportunity for investors looking to acquire shares at a reasonable price. Stocks that combine low P/E ratios with high dividend yields tend to attract those seeking both value and steady income.

One of the reasons these investment strategies remain effective is their long history of delivering strong returns. Approaches centered on identifying undervalued stocks or prioritizing dividend-paying companies have consistently produced favorable results over time. Heartland Advisors referenced a study analyzing US stock returns from 1802 to 2002, which found that dividends and their growth contributed 5.8% to the total annualized return of 7.9% over the 200-year period. Similarly, research from the London Business School examined global returns from 1900 to 2005. The study found that across 17 countries, the average real return was approximately 5%, with an average dividend yield of 4.5% during that timeframe. These findings reinforce the appeal of long-term investment strategies focused on value and income generation.

The Russell Index’s gains this year have been largely driven by a small group of mega-cap stocks, particularly the tech-heavy “Magnificent Seven.” These companies account for over 25% of the index and were responsible for nearly 40% of its 21% total return in the first three quarters of 2024. However, in recent months, market leadership has shifted, with value-oriented stocks gaining momentum. In the third quarter, the Russell Value Index climbed 9.4%, significantly outpacing the 3.2% gain of the Russell Growth Index, as reported by BlackRock.

The report further mentioned that several factors may have influenced this shift toward value stocks. Strong job growth, declining inflation, and the Federal Reserve’s decision to begin cutting interest rates have boosted investor confidence, allowing the rally to extend beyond the largest mega-cap stocks. In addition, value-driven sectors that are sensitive to interest rates—such as financials, utilities, and real estate investment trusts (REITs)—tend to benefit from a lower rate environment.

Though value outperformed growth in the third quarter of 2024, recent market trends have overwhelmingly favored growth and technology stocks, leading to a decline in the representation of value stocks within US large-cap indexes. As of September 30, 2024, growth stocks comprised 32% of the Russell index, whereas value stocks accounted for only 8%, resulting in a notable 24% gap. This stands in contrast to the past 25 years, during which the average difference in market weight between growth and value stocks within the index was 7.4%.

This shift has inadvertently left many portfolios lacking diversification and underexposed to value stocks, potentially causing investors to miss out on gains as value stocks recover. To address this imbalance, investors may benefit from deliberately increasing their allocation to value stocks by complementing core US equity index funds with a dedicated value-focused investment strategy.

Dividend stocks have underperformed recently, largely due to the market’s strong focus on AI-related stocks. As a result, their valuations have declined in recent months. When it comes to dividend investing, high yields often create uncertainty among investors, making it challenging to determine whether these stocks are worthwhile investments. Investors often gravitate toward stocks with high dividend yields, assuming that a higher yield automatically translates to better returns. However, a study by Wellington Management challenged this assumption, revealing that while stocks with the highest dividend payouts and yields performed well over time, they did not necessarily outperform those with moderately high, yet not extreme, dividend yields. This finding suggests that excessively high yields do not always lead to the best results, emphasizing the need for a more balanced approach rather than focusing solely on yield size. Analysts generally consider dividend yields in the range of 3% to 6% to be healthy.

Our Methodology

To compile this list, we filtered for dividend stocks with a forward P/E ratio below 15 and dividend yields exceeding 5% as of February 16. From that group, we chose companies with a proven track record of consistently paying dividends to their shareholders. The ranking of these stocks is based on their forward P/E ratios, arranged from the highest to the lowest.

At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO)

Forward P/E Ratio: 10.04

Dividend Yield as of February 16: 7.66%

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) is a Virginia-based tobacco company that manufactures a wide range of related products including cigarettes and other nicotine products. The tobacco industry has undergone notable transformations in recent years. Although smoking rates have decreased worldwide, there has been a growing shift toward smoke-free alternatives such as e-cigarettes and oral tobacco, which are viewed as less harmful and are gaining popularity. Altria Group, the company behind brands like Marlboro and Parliament, appears to be navigating these changes effectively by expanding its portfolio of smoke-free products. In the past 12 months, the stock has surged by nearly 33%.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) reported revenue of $5.11 billion, marking a 1.63% increase from the same period a year earlier. This figure also surpassed analysts’ expectations by $59.6 million. The company’s strong brand performance contributed to income growth and margin improvements in its core tobacco segment, while it continued making strategic investments to support future expansion. Looking ahead to 2025, Altria anticipates adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) to range between $5.22 and $5.37, representing a projected increase of 2% to 5% from the 2024 EPS of $5.12.

Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO) has a strong dividend history as the company has remained committed to its shareholder return. In FY24, the company paid $6.8 billion worth of dividends to investors. Moreover, it has raised its payouts for 55 consecutive years, which makes MO one of the best dividend stocks on our list. The stock’s dividend yield on February 16 came in at 7.66%.

Overall, MO ranks 6th on our list of low PE high dividend stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential for MO as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MO but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.