Altria Holds 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders; Declares Regular Quarterly Dividend of $0.94 Per Share

Rhea-AI Summary

Altria Group, Inc. holds its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, announces preliminary voting results and declares a regular quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share.

Positive

• Preliminary voting results at the Annual Meeting were positive, with all 12 nominees for the Board of Directors elected to a one-year term.
• The selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for 2023 was ratified.
• Shareholders approved the compensation of named executive officers (NEOs) on an advisory basis, and future advisory votes on NEO compensation will be held annually.
• A regular quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share was declared, payable on July 10, 2023, to shareholders of record as of June 15, 2023.

Negative

• None.

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) (NYSE:MO) held our 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (Annual Meeting) today. During the Annual Meeting, Billy Gifford, Altria’s Chief Executive Officer, provided brief remarks and addressed shareholder questions. A copy of the presentation and a replay of the webcast are available on www.altria.com.

Preliminary Voting Results

The preliminary voting results from our shareholders at the Annual Meeting were as follows:

• elected to a one-year term each of the 12 nominees for our Board of Directors (Board) named in our 2023 Proxy Statement;
• ratified the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2023;
• approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers (NEOs);
• approved, on an advisory basis, that future advisory votes on the compensation of our NEOs should be held annually; and
• did not approve two shareholder proposals.

Final voting results will be reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Regular Quarterly Dividend

Following the Annual Meeting, our Board declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share, payable on July 10, 2023, to shareholders of record as of June 15, 2023. The ex-dividend date is June 14, 2023. Future dividend payments remain subject to the discretion of our Board.

Altria’s Profile

We have a leading portfolio of tobacco products for U.S. tobacco consumers age 21+. Our Vision is to responsibly lead the transition of adult smokers to a smoke-free future (Vision). We are Moving Beyond Smoking™, leading the way in moving adult smokers away from cigarettes by taking action to transition millions to potentially less harmful choices - believing it is a substantial opportunity for adult tobacco consumers, our businesses and society.

Our wholly owned subsidiaries include leading manufacturers of both combustible and smoke-free products. In combustibles, we own Philip Morris USA Inc. (PM USA), the most profitable U.S. cigarette manufacturer, and John Middleton Co. (Middleton), a leading U.S. cigar manufacturer. Our smoke-free portfolio includes ownership of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (USSTC), the leading global moist smokeless tobacco (MST) manufacturer, and Helix Innovations LLC (Helix), a leading manufacturer of oral nicotine pouches.

Additionally, we have a majority-owned joint venture, Horizon Innovations LLC (Horizon), for the U.S. marketing and commercialization of heated tobacco stick products and, through a separate agreement, we have the exclusive U.S. commercialization rights to the IQOS Tobacco Heating System® and Marlboro HeatSticks® through April 2024.

Our equity investments include Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI), the world’s largest brewer, and Cronos Group Inc. (Cronos), a leading Canadian cannabinoid company.

The brand portfolios of our tobacco operating companies include Marlboro®, Black & Mild®, Copenhagen®, Skoal® and on!®. Trademarks and service marks related to Altria referenced in this release are the property of Altria or our subsidiaries or are used with permission.

Learn more about Altria at www.altria.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230518005633/en/

Altria Client Services

Investor Relations

804-484-8222

Altria Client Services

Media Relations

804-484-8897

Source: Altria Group, Inc.

FAQ

What were the preliminary voting results at Altria's Annual Meeting?

All 12 nominees for the Board of Directors were elected to a one-year term.

Who was ratified as the independent registered public accounting firm for 2023?

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was ratified.

What did shareholders approve on an advisory basis?

Shareholders approved the compensation of named executive officers (NEOs) and future advisory votes on NEO compensation.

When will the regular quarterly dividend be paid?

The dividend of $0.94 per share will be paid on July 10, 2023.

What is Altria's Vision?

Altria's Vision is to responsibly lead the transition of adult smokers to a smoke-free future.