Core Viewpoint - Altria reported quarterly earnings of $1.29 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.27 per share, and showing an increase from $1.18 per share a year ago [1][2] Financial Performance - The company achieved revenues of $5.11 billion for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.12% and up from $5.02 billion year-over-year [3] - Altria's earnings surprise was 1.57%, and it has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times over the last four quarters [2][3] Stock Performance and Outlook - Altria shares have increased by approximately 0.7% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P 500 has gained 2.7% [4] - The company's earnings outlook is favorable, with a current consensus EPS estimate of $1.21 for the upcoming quarter and $5.35 for the current fiscal year [8] Industry Context - The Tobacco industry, to which Altria belongs, is currently ranked in the top 36% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating a strong performance potential [9] - Turning Point Brands, another company in the same industry, is expected to report a quarterly earnings decline of 17.7% year-over-year, with revenues projected at $102.25 million, up 5.3% from the previous year [10]

Financial Performance - Altria's adjusted diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) increased by 34% from $495 in FY 2023 to $512 in FY 2024[7] - The company returned $102 billion in cash to shareholders[7] - Smokeable Products Segment adjusted Operating Companies Income (OCI) increased by 20% to $10922 million for the full year 2024[53] - Oral Tobacco Products Segment adjusted OCI increased by 130% to $461 million in Q4 2024[74] Market Trends and Volume - The nicotine space is experiencing growth, with an estimated volume of 172 billion equivalized cigarette packs in 2024[12] - Combustible cigarette volume continues to decline, while e-vapor shows significant growth with a CAGR of approximately 45%[12] - Illicit products are driving e-vapor category growth, with disposable e-vapor forms estimated at ~170 billion equivalized cigarette packs and all other forms at ~200 billion in 2024[15] - The oral tobacco industry volume grew by 15% in the six months ended in 2024[37] NJOY and on! Performance - NJOY shipment volume for consumables reached 128 million in Q4 2024, a 222% increase compared to Q4 2023[31] - NJOY consumables retail share reached 64% in total US in Q4 2024, a 28 percentage points increase[31] - on! shipment volume reached 439 million cans in Q4 2024, a 444% increase compared to Q4 2023[37] - on! share of the oral tobacco category reached 89% in Q4 2024, a 20 percentage points increase[40] Outlook and Challenges - The company expects full-year 2025 adjusted diluted EPS of $522 to $537, representing a growth rate of 2% to 5% from a 2024 base of $512[50] - Illicit markets compromise the company's ability to achieve its 2028 US Smoke-Free Volume and Smoke-Free Revenue goals[23]

Financial Performance - Altria reported Q4 2024 net revenues of $5,974 million, unchanged from Q4 2023, and full-year 2024 net revenues of $24,018 million, a decrease of 1.9% compared to 2023[2]. - Adjusted diluted EPS for Q4 2024 was $1.29, an increase of 9.3%, while full-year adjusted diluted EPS was $5.12, up 3.4% from 2023[2][25]. - Net revenues were essentially unchanged at $6.0 billion, with revenues net of excise taxes increasing 1.6% to $5.1 billion[5]. - Reported diluted EPS increased 54.3% to $1.79, driven by favorable income tax items and fewer shares outstanding[5]. - For the full-year 2024, net pre-tax income of $2.5 billion (or $1.08 per share) was recorded from acquisition-related items, mainly from a pre-tax gain of $2.7 billion on the assignment of IQOS commercialization rights[29]. - Net revenues for Q4 2024 were $5,974 million, a slight decrease of 0.02% compared to $5,975 million in Q4 2023[77]. - Net earnings for Q4 2024 rose significantly by 47.5% to $3,039 million, compared to $2,060 million in Q4 2023[77]. - For the full year 2024, net revenues were $24,018 million, a decrease of 1.9% from $24,483 million in 2023[81]. - Net earnings for the full year 2024 increased by 38.5% to $11,264 million, compared to $8,130 million in 2023[81]. - Diluted earnings per share for the full year 2024 rose by 43.1% to $6.54, up from $4.57 in 2023[81]. Share Repurchase and Debt Management - Altria completed a $3.4 billion share repurchase program in 2024, repurchasing 73.5 million shares at an average price of $46.26[9]. - The company announced a new $1 billion share repurchase program expected to be completed by December 31, 2025[9]. - The company aims to achieve a debt-to-Consolidated EBITDA ratio of approximately 2.0x, with a current ratio of 2.1x[12]. - Total debt as of December 31, 2024, was $24,926 million, down from $26,233 million in 2023[97]. - Consolidated EBITDA for 2024 was $12,157 million, with a total debt to consolidated EBITDA ratio of 2.1[102]. Product Performance and Market Trends - NJOY consumables reported shipment volume increased by 15.3% in Q4 2024 to 12.8 million units, while devices saw a 22.2% increase to 1.1 million units[9]. - Total U.S. smoke-free net revenues in 2024 were $2.8 billion, with innovative smoke-free products contributing $0.3 billion[12]. - Domestic cigarette shipment volume decreased 10.2% for the full year, primarily due to the industry's decline rate and retail share losses[51]. - Marlboro's retail share of the total cigarette category was 41.3%, a decrease of 1.0 percentage point compared to the prior year[52]. - The oral tobacco products segment's retail share decreased to 36.8% in Q4 2024, down from 39.9% in Q4 2023[65]. - The total U.S. oral tobacco category share for on! nicotine pouches increased to 8.9% in Q4 2024, up by 2.0 percentage points year-over-year[65]. - The U.S. nicotine pouch category grew to 45.7% of the U.S. oral tobacco category, an increase of 9.6 percentage points compared to the previous year[65]. Operating Income and Costs - Altria's total reported OCI margin for 2024 was 58.0%, while the total adjusted OCI margin was 60.3%[12]. - Operating companies income for Q4 2024 was $2,968 million, a 1.3% increase from $2,929 million in Q4 2023[77]. - The company reported a significant increase in marketing, administration, and research costs, which rose to $601 million in Q4 2024 from $570 million in Q4 2023[77]. - Operating companies income for 2024 was $11,856 million, down 3.8% from $12,318 million in 2023[83]. Tax and Impairment Items - Income tax items for the full-year 2024 amounted to $969 million (or $0.56 per share), primarily related to the reversal of an unrecognized tax benefit[37]. - For the full-year 2023, a non-cash, pre-tax loss of $250 million (or $0.14 per share) was recorded related to the disposition of JUUL equity securities[32]. - The company incurred asset impairment, exit, and implementation costs of $422 million in 2024[83]. - The company reported a loss on the sale of IQOS System commercialization rights amounting to $2,700 million[102]. Adjusted Earnings and Special Items - Adjusted net earnings for 2024 were $8,821 million, reflecting a slight decrease of 0.01% from $8,822 million in 2023[95]. - Acquisition, disposition, and integration-related items negatively impacted EPS by $1.08 in 2024[106]. - Income tax items reduced EPS by $0.56 in 2024 compared to a reduction of $0.40 in 2022[106]. - JUUL changes in fair value contributed $0.81 to EPS in 2022, with no impact in 2024[106]. - Asset impairment, exit, and implementation costs added $0.18 to EPS in 2024, with no prior impact[106].

Group 1 - Altria is currently outperforming its Consumer Staples peers with a year-to-date return of 2.2%, while the average return for the sector is -0.6% [4] - The Zacks Rank for Altria is 2 (Buy), indicating a positive earnings outlook as the consensus estimate for full-year earnings has increased by 0.9% over the past quarter [3] - Altria belongs to the Tobacco industry, which has an average year-to-date gain of 39.1%, suggesting that Altria is slightly underperforming its industry [5] Group 2 - Simply Good Foods, another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, has a year-to-date return of 0.9% and also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [4][5] - The Food - Confectionery industry, where Simply Good Foods is categorized, has seen a decline of -15.6% since the beginning of the year [6] - Investors should monitor both Altria and Simply Good Foods for their potential to maintain solid performance in the Consumer Staples sector [6]

Earnings Report and Expectations - Altria Group Inc is scheduled to report earnings for the December quarter pre-market on January 30th [1] - Consensus expectations for revenue and net income are set at $5 04 billion and $2 17 billion respectively [1] - Expectations for revenue and net income are viewed as reasonable [1] Analyst Background - The analyst has experience as an investment analyst for a major BB-Bank and as a private equity consultant for MBB [1] - The analyst is currently working towards the CFA charter having completed levels I and II [1] - The analyst has a passion for risk-assets including growth contrarian and emerging market investments [1]

Altria Group, Inc. (MO) is likely to register growth in top and bottom-lines when it reports fourth-quarter 2024 earnings on Jan. 30. Although the Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings has moved down a couple of cents in the past seven days to $1.27 per share, the projection indicates growth of 7.6% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.The consensus mark for 2024 earnings is pegged at $5.13 per share, suggesting a 3.6% increase from the prior-year reported figure. MO has a trailing four-qua ...

Altria (MO 1.64%) and Costco (COST -0.26%) are pretty different companies, but they share a subtle similarity. What is that similarity? Extremely loyal customers. But there are very real issues for investors to consider with each company before buying in. Here's what you need to know.What does Altria do?Altria's biggest business is selling high-end cigarettes under the iconic Marlboro brand. After spinning off its foreign operations into Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM), Altria only operates in the U. ...

Altria (MO) is expected to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended December 2024. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price.The earnings report, which is expected to be released on January 30, 2025, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expec ...

Altria Group, Inc. (MO) , well-known for its presence in the tobacco and vaping industries, has witnessed a 3.9% decline in its share price in the past month.  This compares with the Zacks Tobacco industry’s decline of 1.6% and the Zacks Consumer Staples sector’s deterioration of 2.6%. In contrast, the S&P 500 saw a modest increase of 0.4% over the past month.Altria has underperformed its competitors, including Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) , British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BTI) and Turning Point B ...

Hi there, welcome to my profile. My name is Eugenio Catone, I live in Italy and I am 26 years old. In 2023 I graduated in Business Administration and I am completing my studies. My interest in financial markets started about 5 years ago when I accidentally came across a video about trading. That was the spark that introduced me to a new world, but over time I realized that it was not my path: too many charts, lines, and not very concrete concepts for a pragmatic person like me. I needed something different ...