Altria Keeps Making More From Less

For more than half a century, cigarette smoking has been on the decline, forcing companies like Altria Group (NYSE: MO) to adapt to changing conditions. Despite attacks on multiple fronts, Altria has found ways to win court battles, fight back against consumer advocates, and use its brand loyalty to push profits higher. Recently, Altria has started to get more of a presence in the cigarette-alternative market, following the lead of industry peers that have seen considerable success in that niche.

Coming into Thursday's third-quarter financial report, Altria investors were looking to see very modest gains in revenue but solid profit increases. Altria's revenue was actually lower than year-ago levels, but solid bottom-line performance confirmed for most investors that the company remains on course. Let's look more closely at how Altria did and what lies ahead for the tobacco giant.

Image source: Altria Group.

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Source: Fool.com