Altria Group Inc. Q4 Profit Increases, Beats Estimates

(RTTNews) - Altria Group Inc. (MO) released earnings for its fourth quarter that increased from the same period last year and beat the Street estimates.

The company's bottom line totaled $3.039 billion, or $1.79 per share. This compares with $2.060 billion, or $1.16 per share, last year.

Excluding items, Altria Group Inc. reported adjusted earnings of $2.184 billion or $1.29 per share for the period.

Analysts on average had expected the company to earn $1.28 per share. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company's revenue for the period fell 0.0% to $5.974 billion from $5.975 billion last year.

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

-Earnings: $3.039 Bln. vs. $2.060 Bln. last year. -EPS: $1.79 vs. $1.16 last year. -Revenue: $5.974 Bln vs. $5.975 Bln last year.