Altria Lower After RBC Downgrade

Altria Group Inc MO shares are trading lower by $0.70 (1 percent) at $74.37 in Thursday's session.

The catalyst for the decline may be a downgrade from RBC Capital, which lowered its rating on the issue from Sector Perform to Underperform.

The change comes at very interesting time from a technical perspective, as it's one day removed from nearly making a new all-time high; its rally Wednesday stalled $0.16 ahead of that at $76.38.

After a lower open, Altria's stock found support at $73.54 and rebounded. That low coincides with its February 23 low of $73.69. So far the ensuing rebound has stalled ahead of Wednesday's close of $75.07, as $74.70 stands as the high for the day as of 11:30 a.m. ET.