Here's How Many Shares of Altria Group You Should Own to Get $500 in Yearly Dividends

Dividend Strategy - Altria Group prioritizes consistently growing dividends, targeting a mid-single-digit percentage annual increase [1] - The company started paying a quarterly dividend of $1.02 per share in October, up from $0.98, resulting in an annual dividend of $4.08 per share [3] - To generate $500 in annual dividends, an investor would need to own approximately 123 shares of Altria stock, costing over $6,400 based on the stock's closing price on Dec 31, 2024 [3] Dividend Yield and Sustainability - Altria offers a high dividend yield of 7.8%, significantly higher than the S&P 500's yield of 1.3% [4] - The company's free cash flow of $5.3 billion year-to-date covers the $5.1 billion in dividends paid, indicating sustainability [5] Business Performance - Smokeable-products volume fell 10% in the first nine months of 2024 to 53.3 million units [5] - Marlboro's market share declined to 41.7% at the end of Q3 2024, down from 42.3% a year ago [5] - While GAAP diluted earnings per share grew 9.8% in Q3, revenue growth remained weak at 1.3% [6] Industry Challenges - Altria operates in the challenging tobacco industry, with declining volumes and market share in its core smokeable-products business [4][5]