Altria Boosts Buybacks as Regulation Looms

The tobacco industry has faced challenges for decades, and Altria Group (NYSE: MO) has always charted a course through rough waters to find smooth sailing beyond. By using its pricing power and customer loyalty, Altria has managed to keep sales and profits rising over time even as a secular decline in smoking has seemed to threaten its long-term business.

Coming into the second-quarter financial report, Altria investors had wanted to see substantial gains in earnings amid modest top-line growth. The cigarette giant's revenue came in better than expected, but bottom-line increases were muted at best. Moreover, an announcement after the report came out created fear among investors about the company's future. Let's take a closer look at Altria and what its latest results say about the future for the business.

Image source: Altria.

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Source: Fool.com