Tobacco News

Following an announcement Wednesday that Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris USA is raising its cigarette prices, Reynolds American Inc. also confirmed a five-cent list-price increase. And Lorillard Inc. is also reportedly instituting a six-cent increase.

David Howard, spokesperson for Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Reynolds, told CSP Daily News, that its increase affects its growth brands of Camel and Pall Mall, as well as its support brands of Winston, Salem, Kool, Doral and other others. The increase went into effect December 9.
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Reynolds American Inc. has announced second-quarter increases in adjusted earnings per share and the market share for its top cigarette and moist snuff brands, though lawsuit costs and declining sales volumes brought an overall drop in profits.
The Winston-Salem tobacco company (NYSE: RAI) posted adjusted earnings per share of $0.67, up 1.5 percent from the second quarter of 2010, thanks to higher pricing and volume gains from its moist snuff brands. Ream more »

Daniel Delen:
Good morning, everyone. I’m very pleased to be with you today, and share with you some of the insights and results at Reynolds American and its operating companies. As our results show, RAI and it’s operating companies turned in a good first quarter, giving us a solid foundation for growth in the year ahead.

As you can see from the positive results across our companies, RAI’s initiative to transform tobacco continues to gain momentum. Ream more »

Reynolds American Inc.’s (RAI) fourth-quarter profit was up 44%, driven by higher pricing and productivity improvements. Adjusted results narrowly missed Wall Street’s expectations.

Looking ahead, the tobacco company expects adjusted full-year earnings of $2.60 to $2.70 a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters projected a profit of $2.66.
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Reynolds American Inc. said it has agreed to sell its Lane Ltd. roll-your-own and pipe tobacco unit to Denmark’s Scandanavian Tobacco Group A/S for $205 million.

The second-largest U.S. tobacco company has been shifting its focus to a few key brands and consolidating production. It has also diversified into smokeless tobacco for growth as cigarette sales continue to decline.
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In its continued mission of providing to retailers a “total tobacco” approach, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and American Snuff Co., the largest operating companies of Reynolds American Inc., are focusing on their other tobacco products (OTP) offering with the launch of a new moist smokeless tobacco product, new packaging and more, company executives recently told CSNews Online. Read more

Thousands of small lawsuits, remnants of a failed class action case, are turning into a lingering headache for the U.S. tobacco industry. Read more