UBS reported on Monday that they have upgraded tobacco company, Altria Group, Inc.(MO) to a “Buy”.

The firm has upgraded MO from “Neutral” to “Buy,” and has given the company a price target of $36. This price target suggests a 12% increase over the stock’s current price of $31.77.

UBS sees the company having a positive quarter, with the company focused on price realization.

Altria shares were up 53 cents, or 1.70% during premarket trading Monday. The stock is up 5.36% YTD.

The Bottom Line
Shares of Altria Group (MO) have a 5.63% dividend yield, based on Friday’s closing stock price of $31.24. We have been recommending shares of MO since Aug.24, 2012, when the stock was trading at $33.45.

Altria Group, Inc.(MO) is a “Recommended” dividend stock at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.