Altria Group, Inc. ( MO ) shares are trading lower Thursday despite quarterly sales of $5.974 billion beating the analyst consensus estimate of $5.046 billion.

"2024 was another pivotal year for Altria ( MO ), headlined by meaningful progress toward our Vision, strong financial results and significant cash returns to shareholders," said Billy Gifford, Altria's ( MO ) Chief Executive Officer.

The company authorized a new $1 billion share repurchase program, which is expected to complete by December 31, 2025.

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NJOY consumables shipments grew 15.3% to 12.8 million units, while NJOY devices rose 22.2% to 1.1 million units. NJOY Retail share of consumables in the U.S. increased by 2.8 share points to 6.4%.

The company exited the quarter with cash and equivalents worth $3.127 billion, and inventories worth $1.08 billion. Altria's ( MO ) long-term debt as of quarter-end totaled $23.399 billion.

Outlook: The company expects to deliver 2025 full-year adjusted diluted EPS in a range of $5.22 to $5.37 versus $5.35 estimate, representing a growth rate of 2% to 5% from a base of $5.12 in 2024. 

"We expect our 2025 full-year adjusted effective tax rate to be in a range of 23% to 24%, our 2025 capital expenditures to be between $175 million and $225 million and our 2025 depreciation and amortization expenses to be approximately $290 million," the company said.

Price Action: Altria ( MO ) is down over 3.2% at last check, trading at roughly $50.96 per share.

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