Smokeless Tobacco Products Lift Altria's 4Q Profit

(Fox Business) Altria (MO) reported on Thursday a 27% improvement in fourth-quarter profit, helped by growing demand for smokeless tobacco products, however the company predicted a challenging year ahead, sending its shares slightly lower intraday.
The Richmond, Va.-based company posted net earnings of $919 million, or 44 cents a share, compared with $725 million, or 35 cents a share, in the same quarter last year, matching average analyst estimates polled by Thomson Reuters. Continued