Altria Group Inc. Q2 Profit Increases, beats estimates

(RTTNews) - Altria Group Inc. (MO) revealed a profit for its second quarter that increased from last year and beat the Street estimates.

The company's bottom line came in at $2.117 billion, or $1.19 per share. This compares with $891 million, or $0.49 per share, in last year's second quarter.

Excluding items, Altria Group Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $2.346 billion or $1.31 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $1.18 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter fell 0.5% to $6.508 billion from $6.543 billion last year.

Altria Group Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :

-Earnings (Q2): $2.117 Bln. vs. $891 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q2): $1.19 vs. $0.49 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $1.18 -Revenue (Q2): $6.508 Bln vs. $6.543 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $4.89 to $5.03