Altria Group Inc. Q4 Profit Decreases, but beats estimates

(RTTNews) - Altria Group Inc. (MO) reported a profit for fourth quarter that decreased from the same period last year but beat the Street estimates.

The company's bottom line came in at $2.06 billion, or $1.16 per share. This compares with $2.69 billion, or $1.50 per share, in last year's fourth quarter.

Excluding items, Altria Group Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $2.08 billion or $1.18 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $1.17 per share, according to figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the quarter fell 2.1% to $5.98 billion from $6.11 billion last year.

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

-Earnings (Q4): $2.06 Bln. vs. $2.69 Bln. last year. -EPS (Q4): $1.16 vs. $1.50 last year. -Analyst Estimates: $1.17 -Revenue (Q4): $5.98 Bln vs. $6.11 Bln last year.