The Zacks Tobacco industry participants have been focused on strengthening their arms in the smoke-free product arena owing to consumers’ rising health consciousness. Strong pricing power has also been working well for tobacco players.These upsides have been helping companies navigate a tough industry landscape, wherein inflation has impacted Adult Tobacco Consumers’ (“ATC”) spending patterns, thereby affecting companies’ volumes. All said, Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) , Altria Group, Inc. (MO) and ...

Summary of Altria Group, Inc. Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) - **Date**: February 21, 2024 - **Participants**: - Billy Gifford - CEO - Sal Mancuso - CFO - Analysts from Goldman Sachs and Davenport Industry Context - **Industry**: Tobacco - **Trends**: Significant shifts in consumer demand and regulatory dynamics affecting the tobacco industry. The company is focused on transitioning adult smokers to smoke-free alternatives. Core Points and Arguments 1. **Vision for Smoke-Free Future**: Altria aims to lead the transition of adult smokers to a smoke-free future, reshaping its portfolio to include products like on!, NJOY, and Ploom [2][5][44] 2. **Consumer Insights**: Research indicates that nearly 30% of the 52 million tobacco consumers in the U.S. exclusively use smoke-free formats. The total industry equivalized nicotine volumes increased by 3% in 2023 [7][8] 3. **Regulatory Engagement**: Altria is actively engaging with the FDA to advocate for science-based regulation and to address misinformation about nicotine and tobacco products [10][11] 4. **Harm Reduction Strategy**: The company believes that harm reduction requires a fully regulated marketplace, a decline in underage tobacco use, and a variety of FDA-authorized smoke-free products [8][9] 5. **E-Vapor Market Dynamics**: The e-vapor category grew by approximately 35% in 2023, with disposable products representing over 50% of the category. However, there are concerns about underage use due to illicit products [15][16] 6. **NJOY Brand Development**: Altria has strengthened NJOY's supply chain and expanded its retail footprint to over 75,000 stores, focusing on trial generation and brand visibility [17][19] 7. **Oral Tobacco Growth**: The oral tobacco segment, including products like Copenhagen and on!, reported a 5.5% growth in adjusted operating income and a 67.4% adjusted OCI margin [24][25] 8. **Heated Tobacco Products**: Altria is preparing to introduce heated tobacco products like Ploom and SWIC, targeting smokers seeking alternatives to traditional cigarettes [27][28][29] 9. **International Expansion**: The company plans to expand its smoke-free portfolio internationally, particularly in the nicotine pouch category, which is estimated to represent a $1 billion to $2 billion market [35][36] 10. **Non-Nicotine Opportunities**: Altria is exploring non-nicotine products, with a focus on enhancing consumer well-being. The total addressable market for these solutions is estimated at $100 billion in the U.S. [38][39][40] Financial Performance and Shareholder Returns 1. **Profitability**: The smokeable products segment has grown adjusted OCI by $2.3 billion over the past five years, with margins expanding from nearly 51% to 60% [31][33] 2. **Dividend Policy**: Altria has a strong commitment to dividends, having returned over $37 billion to shareholders in the last five years. The quarterly dividend was increased by 4.3% to $0.98 per share [42][43] 3. **Debt Management**: The company maintains a strong balance sheet with manageable debt maturities, and as of the end of Q4 2023, the debt-to-EBITDA ratio was 2.2 times [43] Additional Important Points - **Market Challenges**: The cigarette industry volume is declining due to macroeconomic factors and the rise of illicit flavored e-vapor products, contributing to a decline of 1.5% to 2.5% in cigarette volumes [34] - **Litigation**: Ongoing litigation with JUUL regarding patent infringement claims is expected to continue into 2025 [23] - **Future Guidance**: Altria reaffirmed its 2024 adjusted diluted EPS guidance of $5.00 to $5.15, representing a growth rate of 1% to 4% from 2023 [43]

Alexandr Screaghin /iStock via Getty Images Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV) reported its latest quarterly result, highlighted by steady growth and profitability. The company, recognized as the world's largest supplier of raw tobacco leaf, has benefited from strong pricing, helping to balance ongoing industry headwinds on the volume side. The attraction here is that even as cigarette sales are down globally, the rise of smokeless tobacco products including vaporizers and oral nicotine pouches has worked ...

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) (NYSE: MO) is participating in the Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference in Boca Raton, Florida today. Billy Gifford, Altria’s Chief Executive Officer, and Sal Mancuso, Altria’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will highlight our exciting progress toward our Vision, discuss how our traditional tobacco businesses continue to support our strategies and provide more detail on our long-term growth aspirations. “I’m confi ...

I'm a huge fan of most dividend stocks. I love investing in companies that pay sizable dividends that steadily increase. That's because they'll supply me with a growing income stream, which should eventually provide me with enough passive income to retire.Given my fondness for big dividends, Altria Group (MO 0.42%) would seem to fit my strategy. It pays a 9.7%-yielding dividend that it has increased 58 times in the last 54 years. However, I won't touch the stock with a 10-foot pole. Here's why. An alluring ...

Anton Petrus/Moment via Getty Images Altria (NYSE:MO) is a "Dividend King" and there are only about 55 companies that currently qualify for this title. To make this list, a company needs to have at least 50 years of consecutive dividend increases. Altria has a 54-year history of consecutive dividend increases. The company has been able to do this in spite of major regulations and in spite of declines in tobacco usage, which is impressive. The tobacco industry has consistently been able to make up for re ...

In the face of persistent market challenges, savvy investors focus on value stocks. Despite the headwinds of political uncertainty, inflationary pressures and the Federal Reserve’s looming decisions, analysts maintain a cautiously optimistic outlook, predicting a heartening ascent in the market’s trajectory, particularly in the back end of 2024. Amid this cautiously optimistic landscape, the allure of value stocks shines brightly, offering a prudent path for those looking to capitalize on underappreciated g ...

High-yielding dividend stocks are tempting because they can provide you with a lot of recurring income. But when the yields become excessively high, there's usually a good reason they're at those levels -- namely, investors are getting a premium for the risk involved.One stock that falls into that category is tobacco maker Altria Group (MO 0.20%). At 9.5%, it pays a dividend yield that is more than six times the S&P 500 average of 1.5%. But just how safe is that dividend?What Altria's latest earnings number ...

If you've been holding back from investing in your future just because you don't have a lot of extra cash to spare, I've got great news. You don't have to be wealthy to start building wealth. For less than $100, you could buy shares of three terrific dividend-paying businesses.These stocks have low share prices, but their dividend programs could deliver heaps of passive income to your brokerage account. They offer yields above 6%, and there's a pretty good chance that all three will raise their payouts furt ...

Predicting short-term stock price movements is difficult. Some may say it is impossible. Just look at what the stock market has done since 2020. First, it crashed, then it ripped to all-time highs, then it crashed again. Now, in early 2024, the S&P 500 is back to all-time highs due to the artificial intelligence boom. If you've held stocks since 2020, you know how stressful stock market volatility can be, especially if you have a large personal portfolio and are close to retirement.If you are looking to mit ...