Altria Group
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| Type | Public (NYSE: MO) S&P 500 Component |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tobacco |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder(s) | Philip Morris, Kraft Foods, Nabisco Holdings Corporation |
| Headquarters | Henrico County, VA, US |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Michael E. Szymanczyk (Chairman) & (CEO) |
| Products | See below |
| Revenue |  US$23.6 Billion (FY 2009)[1] |
| Operating income | US$4.86 Billion (FY 2009)[1] |
| Net income | US$3.21 Billion (FY 2009)[1] |
| Total assets | US$36.7 Billion (FY 2009)[2] |
| Total equity | US$4.07 Billion (FY 2009)[2] |
| Employees | 10,400 - March 2009 |
| Website | Altria.com |
Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) (previously named Philip Morris Companies Inc.), based in Henrico County, Virginia, is the parent company of Philip Morris USA; John Middleton, Inc.; United States Smokeless Tobacco, Inc.; Philip Morris Capital Corporation; and Ste Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations. Philip Morris International was spun off in 2008. In addition, Altria Group, Inc. has a 28.7% economic and voting interest in one of the world's largest brewing companies, UK based SABMiller plc. It is a component of the S&P 500 and was a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average until February 19, 2008. The company has its head offices in unincorporated Henrico County, Virginia.
On January 27, 2003, Philip Morris Companies Inc. changed its name to Altria Group, Inc. On March 30, 2007, a spin out of Kraft Foods subsidiary (publicly traded since 2001) was concluded through distribution of the remaining stake of shares (88.1%) to Altria shareholders. As a result, Altria no longer holds any interest in Kraft Foods. On March 28, 2008 a similar spin out of Philip Morris International was completed with 100% of shares being distributed to Altria shareholders.
On January 6, 2009, Altria Group, Inc. completed the acquisition of UST Inc., the world's leading moist smokeless tobacco manufacturer; UST owned Ste Michelle Wine Estates, a leadingfine wine company.
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History
The rebranding of Phillip Morris to Altria took place in 2003. The company wished to emphasize that its business consists of more than tobacco; at the time, it owned an 84% stake in Kraft,[3] although that business has since been spun off.[4] The name "Altria" comes from the Latin word for "high" and was part of a trend of companies rebranding to names that previously did not exist, Accenture and Verizon being two other notable examples.[5] The rebranding took place amidst financially troubled circumstances.[6]
Holdings
Altria Group, Inc. owns 100 percent of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc. and Philip Morris Capital Corporation. It also owns 28.7% of SABMiller PLC.
Before the recent restructuring, the net revenue (and operating income) of Altria Group, Inc. came predominantly from its tobacco business, as is shown in the following table. Altria's share of SABMiller's revenue and profits is not included in the table below because its holding is too small to be consolidated in the group accounts.[7]
| Activity | Net revenue in 2006 (millions USD) |
Net revenue in 2006 (%) |
Operating income in 2006 (millions USD) |
Operating income in 2006 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA tobacco | 18,474 | 18.2% | 4,812 | 26.5% |
| International tobacco | 48,260 | 47.6% | 8,458 | 46.5% |
| North American food | 23,118 | 22.8% | 3,753 | 20.7% |
| International food | 11,238 | 11.1% | 964 | 5.3% |
| Financial services | 317 | 0.3% | 176 | 1.0% |
| Total | 101,407 | 100% | 18,163 | 100% |
Polonium
"Philip Morris documents show the majority of the company's internal reports regarding 210Po (Polonium) were not published. One manuscript believed by some Philip Morris scientists to be favorable to the tobacco industry was withheld from publication for fear of heightening public awareness of 210Po."[8]
Brands
Tobacco
Philip Morris USA brands:
- Alpine
- Assos
- Basic
- Benson & Hedges (American Version)
- Best
- Bristol
- Bond Street
- Boston
- Bucks
- Cambridge
- Chesterfield
- Classic
- Collector's Choice
- Commander
- Diana
- Delicados
- Elita
- English Ovals
- f6
- Lark
- Long Beach
- L&M
- Marlboro
- Merit
- Muratti
- Multifilter
- Morven Gold
- Next
- Optima
- Parliament
- Peter Jackson
- Philip Morris
- Players
- Petra
- Red & White
- Saratoga
- SG
- Sparta
- Start
- Sampoerna (a brand of Indonesian kreteks)
- Virginia Slims
Wine
- Chateau Ste Michelle
- Columbia Crest
- Stag's Leap Wine Cellars
- Conn Creek
- Red Diamond
- Snoqualmie
- Spring Valley
- Villa Mt Eden
- Erath
- Col Solare
- Northstar
- Villa Antinori
- Tormaresca
- Tignanello
- Antica Napa Valley
- Solaia
- Santa Cristina
- Haras di Pirque
- La Bracessca
- Montenisa
- Hawk Crest
- Fourteen Hands
- Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte
- Palmes d'Or
- Domaine Ste Michelle
Corporate governance
Board of directors
Current members of the board of directors of Altria Group are:[9]
- Michael E. Szymanczyk - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Altria Group, Inc.
- Martin J. Barrington - Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance and Administrative Officer, Altria Group, Inc.
- Craig A. Johnson - President and Chief Executive Officer, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd.
- David R. Beran - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Altria Group, Inc.
- Murray R. Garnick - Senior Vice President of Litigation, Altria Client Services Inc.
- William F. Gifford - President and Chief Executive Officer, Philip Morris USA
- Craig A. Johnson - Executive Vice President, Altria Group, Inc.
- Denise F. Keane - Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Altria Group, Inc.
- Nancy B. Lund - Senior Vice President of Marketing, Altria Client Services Inc.
- John J. Mulligan - President, Philip Morris Capital Corporation
- John R. Nelson - Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Altria Group, Inc.
- Peter P. Paoli - President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company
- Craig G. Schwartz - President and Chief Executive Officer, John Middleton Co.
- Howard A. Willard III - Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Altria Group, Inc.
Headquarters
Prior to being based in Virginia, Philip Morris had its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.[10] In 2003 Philip Morris announced that it would move its headquarters to Virginia. The company said that it planned to keep around 750 employees in its former headquarters. Brendan McCormick, a spokesperson for Philip Morris, said that the company estimated that the move would save the company over $60 million each year.[11] The company now has its head offices in unincorporated Henrico County, Virginia, in Richmond.[12]
Political influence
According to the Center for Public Integrity, Altria spent around $101 million on lobbying the United States government between 1998 and 2004, making it the second most active organization in the nation.[13][14]
See also
- Tobacco industry
- Philip Morris USA
- Master Settlement Agreement
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Altria Group (MO) annual SEC income statement filing via Wikinvest
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Altria Group (MO) annual SEC balance sheet filing via Wikinvest
- ↑ Philip Morris completes its rebranding to Altria Group - Brand Republic News - Brand Republic
- ↑ Coca-Cola vs. Altria: Altria
- ↑ "Altria Director Discusses Rebranding Company, CNNfn". Finance Wire. November 11, 2003. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-2337818_ITM.
- ↑ US TOBACCO giant Philip Morris changed the name of its parent company to Altria last week but the rebranding failed to hide the weak state of its business. - Sunday Business (...
- ↑ US Securities and Exchange Commission, Altria Group, Inc. Annual report 2006
- ↑ Rowell, Andy (August 24, 2008). "Tobacco firms kept quiet on polonium role in cigarettes". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/tobacco-firms-kept-quiet-on--polonium-role-in-cigarettes-907194.html. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.altria.com/about_altria/1_4_ourmanagement.asp
- ↑ "Contact Us." Philip Morris Companies. April 9, 2001. Retrieved on October 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Philip Morris to Move Headquarters from New York City to Richmond, Va.." New York Daily News. March 5, 2003. Retrieved on October 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Contact Us." Altria. Retrieved on October 19, 2009.
- ↑ The Center for Public Integrity: Altria Group, Inc.
- ↑ The Center for Public Integrity: Top 100 Companies and Organizations
External links
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