Altria Reports Boost in 3Q Profit on Higher Cigarette Prices, Reaffirms Outlook

Source from:  The Associated Press 10/30/2015

Altria Group Inc. on Thursday reported a boost in third-quarter profit as higher tobacco product prices helped drive revenue.

The owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker, reported a 9.4 per cent profit rise to $1.53 billion, or 78 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, came to 75 cents per share. That fell just shy of Wall Street expectations, with four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expecting 76 cents per share.

Meanwhile, revenue excluding excise taxes rose 4.7 per cent to $4.98 billion.

The company said Marlboro cigarettes gained some market share to reach 43.9 per cent. Philip Morris, overall, now has 51.3 per cent of the market.

Richmond, Virginia-based Altria reaffirmed its full-year outlook for profit between $2.76 and $2.81 per share. It expects a strong U.S. dollar to continue impacting revenue.

Looking ahead, Altria has large stake in the developing Anheuser-Busch InBev buyout of rival SABMiller. Altria is SABMiller's largest shareholder and said the deal is "a compelling opportunity to strengthen" its position in the global brewing business.

AB InBev and SABMiller are currently working to finalize terms of the deal, which is worth more than $100 billion.

Shares of Altria fell 51 cents to $60.92 in morning trading Thursday.

Altria shares have climbed 25 per cent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has increased 1.5 per cent. The stock has climbed 29 per cent in the last 12 months. Enditem