Retirees and other income-focused investors must wade through an ocean of dividend stocks to find high-yield investments that can afford their lofty payout. The market won't pay as much for a stock with a suspect dividend. The lower share price creates a higher yield.But some stocks, like Altria Group (MO -0.12%) and AT&T (T 0.29%), are household high-yielders known for their commitment to paying shareholders. The question today is: Which one can you trust with your money?That doesn't necessarily mean one i ...

Altria (MO) closed at $40.86 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.12% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.8%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.23%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 1.14%.Shares of the owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker witnessed a loss of 1.94% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Consumer Staples sector with its gain of 1.15% and the S&P 500's gain of 5.2%.The upco ...

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) today announced that our Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.98 per share, payable on April 30, 2024 to shareholders of record as of March 25, 2024. The ex-dividend date is March 22, 2024. ...

Before discussing about some undervalued and attractive dividend stocks, let’s briefly talk about the investing psychology.A Forbes article on “The Psychology of Investing” points out that “investors tend to lose not because of economic conditions but because of human psychology.”I am in complete agreement with this view and training the mind is a prerequisite of successful investing. One of the commonly made errors is to chase a stock in the limelight and ultimately buy at overvalued levels. An appropriate ...

Altria (MO) has been one of the most searched-for stocks on Zacks.com lately. So, you might want to look at some of the facts that could shape the stock's performance in the near term.Over the past month, shares of this owner of Philip Morris USA, the nation's largest cigarette maker have returned +1.1%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4% change. During this period, the Zacks Tobacco industry, which Altria falls in, has gained 0.4%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direct ...

Financial Performance - Net revenues for 2023 were $24,483 million, an increase from the previous year[141]. - Net earnings for 2023 reached $8,130 million, compared to $5,764 million in 2022, representing a 41.5% increase[143]. - The gross profit for 2023 was $14,284 million, with a gross margin of approximately 58.3%[141]. - Net cash provided by operating activities for 2023 was $9,287 million, compared to $8,256 million in 2022, reflecting a 12.5% increase[146]. - The company reported a loss of $2,751 million related to the acquisition of NJOY, net of cash acquired[149]. - Total dividends paid on common stock in 2023 were $6,779 million, slightly up from $6,599 million in 2022[149]. - The company repurchased $1,000 million of common stock in 2023, compared to $1,825 million in 2022[152]. - The company recorded pre-tax losses of $649 million during the first quarter of 2021 due to debt tender offers and redemption[201]. Assets and Liabilities - Total assets as of December 31, 2023, were $38,570 million, up from $36,954 million in 2022[138]. - Total liabilities increased to $42,060 million in 2023, compared to $40,877 million in 2022[138]. - The current portion of long-term debt decreased to $1,121 million in 2023 from $1,556 million in 2022[138]. - The carrying value of the company's total long-term debt was $26,233 million as of December 31, 2023, down from $26,680 million in 2022[191]. - The fair value of the company's total long-term debt was estimated at $24,373 million in 2023, compared to $22,928 million in 2022[191]. Employee and Diversity Initiatives - As of December 31, 2023, the company employed approximately 6,400 people, with 27% being hourly manufacturing employees[17]. - The company has established aspirational Inclusion & Diversity Aiming Points, including equal numbers of men and women among vice president and director-level employees[14]. - The company targets total compensation packages to be above peer companies, with actual total compensation potentially exceeding the 75th percentile based on performance[15]. Market and Product Segments - Total smokeable products segment's cigarette shipment volume in the United States was 76.3 billion units in 2023, a decrease of 9.9% from 2022[10]. - Total smokeable products segment's cigars shipment volume was approximately 1.8 billion units in 2023, an increase of 2.8% from 2022[10]. - Total oral tobacco products segment's shipment volume was 782.9 million units in 2023, a decrease of 2.2% from 2022[10]. - The company has exclusive U.S. commercialization rights to the IQOS Tobacco Heating System effective April 30, 2024[10]. - NJOY is currently the only e-vapor manufacturer to receive market authorizations from the U.S. FDA for a pod-based e-vapor product[10]. Tax and Legal Matters - The effective tax rate for 2023 was 25.6%, compared to 22.0% in 2022, with a total tax provision of $2,798 million for 2023[219]. - The balance of unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2023, was $1,608 million, significantly up from $69 million at the end of 2022[217]. - PM USA has paid approximately $1 billion in judgments and settlements related to tobacco litigation, with an additional $241 million in interest[255]. - The accrued liability for tobacco and health litigation items at the end of 2023 was $346 million, a significant increase from $71 million in 2022[256]. - PM USA recorded pre-tax charges of $242 million related to JUUL settlements in 2023, reflecting ongoing financial impacts from e-vapor litigation[256]. Research and Development - Research and development expenses increased to $220 million in 2023 from $162 million in 2022, reflecting a growth of 35.7%[250]. Pension and Employee Benefits - The company reported a funded status of $347 million for its pension plans as of December 31, 2023, compared to $311 million in 2022[229]. - The accumulated benefit obligation for pension plans was $6.3 billion at December 31, 2023, up from $6.1 billion in 2022[229]. - The net periodic benefit cost for pension plans was reported as a gain of $103 million in 2023, compared to a loss of $121 million in 2022[232]. Acquisitions and Investments - The acquisition of NJOY Holdings, Inc. was completed on June 1, 2023, for a total consideration of approximately $2.9 billion, including $2.75 billion in cash and up to $500 million in contingent payments based on FDA authorizations[164]. - NJOY's financial results have been consolidated into the company's financials starting June 1, 2023, and are categorized under "all other" in segment reporting[164]. - The fair value of the investment in ABI was $12.7 billion at December 31, 2023, exceeding its carrying value of $9.7 billion by approximately 32%[182]. Litigation and Regulatory Issues - PM USA is facing 5,177 e-vapor cases as of December 31, 2023, down from 5,283 cases in 2022, indicating a potential stabilization in litigation volume[259]. - The company has successfully defended against 49 out of 80 tobacco-related cases since January 1999, demonstrating a relatively strong litigation defense track record[259]. - PM USA recorded a pre-tax charge of approximately $48 million related to a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling affirming a judgment against the company[261]. Environmental and Compliance Matters - The company has accrued for environmental remediation obligations, although future costs cannot be reasonably estimated[278]. - The company has not recorded any related liability for indemnification agreements with PMI as the fair value is considered insignificant[279].

UKRAINE - 2023/03/06: In this photo illustration, a NJOY logo is seen on a smartphone and Altria ... [+] Group logo in the background. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesAltria (NYSE: MO) reported its Q4 results earlier this month, with revenues missing and earnings marginally above the street estimates. The company reported adjusted revenue of $5.02 billion and adjusted profit of $1.18 per share compared to the consensus est ...

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 ...