Altria Group Reports 2022 Results

Altria Group reported net revenues of $6.11 billion for the fourth quarter of 2022 and net revenues of $25.1 billion for the full year, down 2.3 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, from the comparable periods of 2021. Revenues net of excise taxes were down 0.1 percent for the quarter and up 2 percent for the full year, to $5.08 billion and $20.69 billion, respectively.

“It was an exciting year for Altria as our businesses delivered strong financial performance, and we continued to strategically invest toward our Vision,” said Altria CEO Billy Gifford in a statement. “We generated strong adjusted diluted EPS growth of 5 percent and made meaningful progress in several areas of our smoke-free portfolio.”

“Our plans for 2023 include a continuation of our strategy to balance earnings growth and shareholder returns with strategic investments toward our Vision. We expect to deliver 2023 full-year adjusted diluted EPS in a range of $4.98 to $5.13, representing a growth rate of 3 percent to 6 percent from a base of $4.84 in 2022.”

Like other tobacco companies, Altria was impacted by high rates of inflation in 2022, which reduced adult tobacco consumers’ discretionary income and spending. “As a result, our businesses and the industry experienced elevated volume declines, and we observed accelerated share growth in discount cigarettes. Despite these factors, our leading tobacco brands remained resilient and we continued to observe significant brand loyalty in the tobacco space overall,” the company wrote on its website.

While Marlboro’s retail share of the total U.S. cigarette category dropped 0.4 points to 42.5 percent in 2022, the brand gained 0.5 points in the premium segment, claiming 58.2 percent of that category.

Altria Group also revised the valuation of its stake in Juul Labs, which has faced considerable regulatory and legal challenges. As of Dec. 31, 2022, the investment was worth $250 million, according to Altria.