Altria Group, Inc. Presents at Goldman Sachs Consumer Products Symposi

    Business Editors

    NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2005--Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dinyar S. Devitre presented today at the Goldman Sachs Consumer Products Symposium in New York City, joined by Senior Vice President and General Counsel Charles R. Wall for a question-and-answer session.
    Mr. Devitre reaffirmed Altria's previously disclosed earnings forecast for the full-year 2005 and briefly described the company's major challenges and opportunities in its tobacco and food businesses. Mr. Devitre and Mr. Wall then took questions from the audience of approximately 100 investors.
    A live audio Webcast is available at www.altria.com from approximately 9:40 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11, 2005. A replay of the Webcast will be available on the company's Web site until approximately 5 p.m. eastern time on June 9, 2005.
    During his presentation, Mr. Devitre confirmed Altria's previously disclosed earnings forecast for 2005 full-year diluted earnings per share from continuing operations in a range of $4.95 to $5.05. This forecast assumes current foreign exchange rates and approximately $0.12 per share in charges associated with the continuing Kraft restructuring program. However, it does not include any tax impact that could arise consequent to the repatriation of funds from international businesses under provisions of the American Jobs Creation Act, nor does it include any benefit from prior year accrued contributions to the National Tobacco Grower Settlement Trust. In addition, the forecasted results do not include the impact of the previously announced transaction for Sampoerna or any future acquisitions or divestitures. The factors described in the Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements section of this release represent continuing risks to this projection.

    Altria Group, Inc. Profile

    Altria Group, Inc. owns approximately 85.5% of the outstanding common shares of Kraft Foods Inc. and 100% of the outstanding common shares of Philip Morris International Inc., Philip Morris USA Inc. and Philip Morris Capital Corporation. In addition, Altria Group, Inc. has a 33.9% economic interest in SABMiller plc. The brand portfolio of Altria Group, Inc.'s consumer packaged goods companies includes such well-known names as Kraft, Jacobs, L&M, Marlboro, Maxwell House, Nabisco, Oreo, Oscar Mayer, Parliament, Philadelphia, Post and Virginia Slims. Altria Group, Inc. recorded 2004 net revenues of $89.6 billion.
    Trademarks and service marks mentioned in this release are the registered property of, or licensed by, the subsidiaries of Altria Group, Inc.

    Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

    This press release contains projections of future results and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements.
    Altria Group, Inc.'s consumer products subsidiaries are subject to changing prices for raw materials; intense price competition; changes in consumer preferences and demand for their products; fluctuations in levels of customer inventories; the effects of foreign economies and local economic and market conditions; and unfavorable currency movements. Their results are dependent upon their continued ability to promote brand equity successfully; to anticipate and respond to new consumer trends; to develop new products and markets and to broaden brand portfolios in order to compete effectively with lower-priced products; to improve productivity; and to respond effectively to changing prices for their raw materials.
    Altria Group, Inc.'s tobacco subsidiaries (Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris International) continue to be subject to litigation, including risks associated with adverse jury and judicial determinations, courts reaching conclusions at variance with the company's understanding of applicable law, bonding requirements and the absence of adequate appellate remedies to get timely relief from any of the foregoing; price disparities and changes in price disparities between premium and lowest-price brands; legislation, including actual and potential excise tax increases; increasing marketing and regulatory restrictions; the effects of price increases related to excise tax increases and concluded tobacco litigation settlements on consumption rates and consumer preferences within price segments; health concerns relating to the use of tobacco products and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke; governmental regulation; privately imposed smoking restrictions; and governmental and grand jury investigations.
    Altria Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries are subject to other risks detailed from time to time in its publicly filed documents, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2005. Altria Group, Inc. cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not complete and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that it may make.

--30--MEM/ny*

CONTACT: Altria Group, Inc. Nicholas M. Rolli, 917-663-3460 Timothy R. Kellogg, 917-663-2759

KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED KINGDOM INTERNATIONAL EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: FOODS/BEVERAGES RETAIL CONFERENCE CALLS SOURCE: Altria Group, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2005