Altria Group Inc. Q3 Profit Increases, beats estimates

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

The company's earnings came in at $2.17 billion, or $1.22 per share. This compares with $224 million, or $0.12 per share, in last year's third quarter.

Excluding items, Altria Group Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $2.28 billion or $1.28 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $1.22 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter fell 4.1% to $6.28 billion from $6.55 billion last year.

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

-Earnings (Q3): $2.17 Bln. vs. $224 Mln. last year. -EPS (Q3): $1.22 vs. $0.12 last year. -Analyst Estimate: $1.22 -Revenue (Q3): $6.28 Bln vs. $6.55 Bln last year.

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $4.91 to $4.98