Altria Group Reports Full-Year Results

Altria Group earned net revenues of $26.01 billion in 2021, down 0.5 percent from its 2020 net revenues. Net revenues net of excise taxes was up 1.3 percent to $21.11 billion in 2021. For the fourth quarter of 2021, Altria Group reported net revenues of $6.26 billion, down 0.8 percent over those reported in the comparable 2020 period. Revenues net of excise taxes were up 0.6 percent to $5.09 billion for the fourth quarter.

“Altria delivered outstanding results in 2021 across our businesses, including strong financial performance, progress toward our vision and advancements in our ESG efforts,” said Altria CEO Billy Gifford in a statement.

“We returned more than $8.1 billion in cash to shareholders in 2021 through dividends and share repurchases. This total represents the third-largest single-year cash return in Altria’s history and the largest annual return since 2002.

“Our plans for the year ahead include a continuation of our strategy to balance earnings growth and shareholder returns with investments toward our vision. We expect to deliver 2022 full-year adjusted diluted EPS in a range of $4.79 to $4.93, representing a growth rate of 4 percent to 7 percent from an adjusted diluted EPS base of $4.61 in 2021.”

Altria’s heated-tobacco business suffered a setback when the U.S. International Trade Commission imposed an importation ban on the IQOS device, Marlboro HeatSticks and infringing components following an intellectual property dispute with Reynolds American Inc. As a result, the IQOS system is no longer available for sale in the U.S.

Atria says it remains focused on returning IQOS to the U.S. market.