Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog says Altria Group (MO) and Philip Morris (PM) just announced a "healthy and slightly higher than expected" wholesale list price increase on all of its cigarette brands, including Marlboro The analyst learned from industry contacts that PM USA took a cigarette list price increase of 10c per pack or $1.00 per carton on Marlboro, L&M, and B&H Menthol, 15c per pack on Parliament and Virginia Slims, and 50c per pack on everything else. The 10c per pack increase on Marlboro is slightly higher than the 9c per pack increase Altria took on Marlboro in March 2018, reflecting the company's "significant pricing power," Herzog tells investors in a research note. The analyst expects British American Tobacco (BTI), Reynolds and ITG Brands will follow Altria's lead and increase prices in the next few days, but possibly not as robust of an increase. She expects Tobacco stocks will react favorably to this list price increase and reiterates an Overweight rating on the sector and Outperform rating on Altria Group.Fargo

The company said, "We reaffirm our 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance range of $5.05 to $5.17, representing a growth rate of 2% to 4.5% from a base of $4.95 in 2023. We expect 2024 adjusted diluted EPS growth to be weighted to the second half of the year. Our guidance includes the impact of two additional shipping days in 2024 and assumes limited impact on combustible and e-vapor volumes from enforcement efforts in the illicit e-vapor market. While the 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance accounts for a range of scenarios, the external environment remains dynamic. We will continue to monitor conditions related to (i) the economy, including the cumulative impact of inflation, (ii) adult tobacco consumer (ATC) dynamics, including purchasing patterns and adoption of smoke-free products, (iii) illicit e-vapor enforcement and (iv) regulatory, litigation and legislative developments. Our 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance range includes planned investments in support of our Vision, such as (i) marketplace activities in support of our smoke-free products and (ii) continued smoke-free product research, development and regulatory preparation expenses. The 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance range excludes an estimated per share gain of $1.17 related to the sale of the IQOS Tobacco Heating System commercialization rights that we expect to occur in the second quarter of 2024."

Notable companies reporting before tomorrow's open, with earnings consensus, include Merck (MRK), consensus $1.87... Caterpillar (CAT), consensus $5.14... Comcast (CMSCA), consensus 99c... Honeywell (HON), consensus $2.17... Bristol-Myers (BMY), consensus ($4.44)... Altria (MO), consensus $1.15... Keurig Dr. Pepper (KDP), consensus 35c... GE Vernova (GEV), consensus (37c)... Royal Caribbean (RCL), consensus $1.33... Tractor Supply (TSCO), consensus $1.72... Mobileye (MBLY), consensus (6c)... Textron (TXT), consensus $1.23... LabCorp (LH), consensus $3.48... Southwest Airlines (LUV), consensus (34c)... American Airlines (AAL), consensus (29c)... Harley-Davidson (HOG), consensus $1.51.

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Unusual total active option classes on open include: ImmunityBio (IBRX), Halliburton (HAL), Redfin (RDFN), Nokia (NOK), Matterport (MTTR), General Motors (GM), UPS (UPS), Philip Morris (PM), PepsiCo (PEP), and General Electric (GE).

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Reports Q1 revenue $8.8B, consensus $8.47B. "The strength of our first-quarter results with excellent top-line growth and significant margin expansion gives us the confidence to raise our 2024 currency-neutral guidance. Strong smoke-free momentum continues with rapid underlying volume progression and accelerating organic net revenue and gross profit growth, fueled by the operating leverage of IQOS and the best-in-class economics of ZYN. We are executing efficiently and effectively in a dynamic operating environment of geopolitical and economic tensions that accentuate currency volatility. We are doing our utmost to mitigate these challenges and deliver robust growth and value creation," said Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer.