http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/org/mo.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://us.rd.yahoo.com/finance/external/investors/SIG=131li9v7i/*http://news.investors.com/article/600618/201202091030/philip-morris-lorillard-top-estimates.htm?ven=yahoocp&ven=yahoo http://tobacco.org/news/333600.html Cigarette maker Philip Morris International (PM) beat fourth-quarterexpectations, while smaller rival Lorillard (LO) also recorded strong gains during the quarter and hiked its quarterly dividend. Both companies claimed market share gains. Philip Morris International, which was split off from Philip Morris USA in 2008, said earnings per share climbed 13% to $1.10, a penny above estimates. Revenue rose 9% to $7.7 billion. The tobacco giant also issued an upbeat 2012 profit forecast. It sees full-year EPS of $5.25-$5.35, vs. $4.85 in 2011, the midpoint topping analyst projections by 11 cents. Philip Morris shares jumped 3% to 80.39. Shares have climbed 33% from a closing price of 60.45 on Oct. 7. Investor's Business Daily name@domain.com (JAMES DETAR, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://us.rd.yahoo.com/finance/external/pssa/SIG=12sgac7r9/*http://seekingalpha.com/article/356611-philip-morris-s-strong-quarter-sets-up-a-great-year?source=yahoo http://tobacco.org/news/333599.html Philip Morris (PM) was the Dow Jones Industrial Average's best performer in 2011, rising 34%. Including dividends, total shareholder return was 40%. Can the stock continue to deliver in 2012 after last year's strong performance? So far, this year, the stock has been a laggard. I'm a shareholder and like the stock despite the 2011 run. First, Philip Morris started the year off with a bang. Seeking Alpha blog network Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=125836&code=Ne2&category=2 http://tobacco.org/news/333598.html Starting today, Philip Morris International Korea will increase its cigarette prices by nearly 7-percent on average. Its flagship brands such as Marlboro, Parliament and Lark will be sold at 2,700 won roughly 2-dollars-and-40-cents a pack, up 200 won. In April and May last year, British American Tobacco Korea, the No. 2 player in the local market, and Japan Tobacco International Korea relayed their price hikes on Dunhill, Kent, Mild Seven and other products by 200 won in general to cope with surging raw material and labor costs. Korea’s tobacco giant, KT&G Corporation however, is set to freeze its cigarette prices for the time being Arirang TV & Radio julz1201@arirangtv.com Korea - South Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-09/philip-morris-climbs-to-highest-since-2008-on-forecast.html http://tobacco.org/news/333597.html Philip Morris International Inc. rose to the highest since its spinoff by Altria Group Inc. almost four years ago after forecasting profit this year that was higher than analysts estimated. The world's largest publicly traded tobacco manufacturer gained 3 percent to $80.18 at 2:41 p.m. in New York after climbing to $80.99, the highest intraday price since March 2008. Profit per share in 2012 will be $5.25 to $5.35, the New York-based company said today in a statement. The average estimate of 16 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg was $5.20. Chief Executive Officer Louis Camilleri boosted shipments of Marlboro and the company's nine other biggest brands in 2011, leading to higher global market share for the fourth straight year. Philip Morris anticipates stronger growth in Asia in 2012, Camilleri told analysts today on a conference call. Business Week/Bloomberg cburritt@bloomberg.net (Chris Burritt) Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/documentStore/t/d/f/tdf47d00/Stdf47d00.pdf http://tobacco.org/news/333569.html Collection Philip Morris Pages 13 . . . Dr. James E. Enstrom Associate Research Professor School of Public Health University of California . . . Dr. Michael R. Fox Principal Engineer American Nuclear Society . . . Dr. Gary L. Huber Director Nutrition Unit, Department of Medicine University of Texas Health Center . . . Mr. Peter Huber Senior Fellow Manhattan Institute . . . Legacy Tobacco Documents Library Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/video/85897072 http://tobacco.org/news/333536.html Jaime Gil-Robles, corporate affairs director at Altadis SA, the Spanish unit of Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, talks about tobacco smuggling and consumption in Spain. He spoke with Bloomberg's Manuel Baigorri in Madrid on Jan. 26. (Source: Bloomberg) Bloomberg News Spain Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120209005935/en/Philip-Morris-International-PMI-Reports-2011-Results http://tobacco.org/news/333535.html Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE / Euronext Paris: PM) today announced its 2011 full-year and fourth-quarter results. “While admittedly lifted by Japan, our 2011 results were simply superb in each and every aspect. Every single one of our top ten brands recorded volume growth, we surpassed all of our key financial performance measures and grew our global market share for the fourth year in a row. Our total shareholder return in 2011 was an impressive 39.8%, substantially outperforming the broader market indices,” said Louis C. Camilleri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Economic uncertainty, currency volatility and the year-on-year comparison of our business performance in Japan are obvious challenges in 2012. We nevertheless begin the year with solid business momentum, confident in our ability to meet our constant currency financial growth targets, and as steadfast as ever in our commitment to reward our shareholders with superior returns over the long-term.” Conference Call A conference call, hosted by Louis C. Camilleri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Hermann Waldemer, Chief Financial Officer, with members of the investment community and news media, will be webcast at 1:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on February 9, 2012. Access is available at www.pmi.com. Business Wire Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://seekingalpha.com/article/333032-why-analysts-negative-commentary-on-the-tobacco-industry-is-just-wrong http://tobacco.org/news/333204.html The most glaringly negative commentary about Altria's earnings report came from Barron's, a respected publication that is also known to sometimes echo the thinking of many in the hedge fund industry. In a recent piece, written several days ago after Altria released earnings, Barron's author Sandra Ward seemed to come close to declaring the tobacco industry a dead zone for investors. Ms. Ward started her article by citing a Morgan Stanley analyst who has not recommended any of the big three tobacco names in the U.S. for three years. She stated that he is shockingly not currently recommending them because of difficulties these companies face in operating in the U.S. Of course, during the past three years, U.S. tobacco stocks have paid dividends of roughly 5%-7% a year, and have appreciated between 40%-60% without including the dividend. Nonetheless, she cited this author to suggest that the operating environment for tobacco companies in the U.S. has mysteriously become more difficult over the past six months. Her main points to back this argument up were that Altria's flagship brand is not growing its market share, fewer people are smoking cigarettes today, and, with cigarette prices now at nearly $6 a pack on average nationally, tobacco companies will have a harder time putting through future price increases. Now, call me crazy, but I think anyone with half a brain could have made all these arguments three or four years ago. The reality is that Altria's quarter was very strong, and the strength of Altria's latest quarter came in a very difficult economic environment. Altria may sell an addictive product, but it still sells a premium product that is priced higher than that of many of competitors. Despite operating in what I agree is a difficult economic environment, Altria's numbers were very strong by any metric. . . . As an attorney, I follow major developments in the litigation process at both the state and federal level very closely. Looking at recent legal and regulatory developments, I don't see any changes in the legal environment for the tobacco industry over the past year that have been anything but positive for these companies. I'm also not quite sure why these old arguments are suddenly relevant now. The Department of Justice's multi-decade federal lawsuit against the big three tobacco companies was thrown out nearly two years ago. The States have already settled with big tobacco and are issuing tobacco bonds going out 10 years. Under the Master settlement agreement, the four largest tobacco companies have agree to pay $206 billion to state governments over the course of the next 25 years. The payments are prorated to each company's respective market share and revenue. While this number sounds big, it means companies like Altria pay a couple billion a year to state governments, and have no worries about future lawsuits from state governments in the future. Seeking Alpha blog network Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/02/300_million_trial_into_reprehe.html http://tobacco.org/news/333199.html Ten years after a Multnomah County jury awarded $150 million after finding Philip Morris deceived a low-tar cigarette smoker into thinking she'd chosen a healthier alternative, the case is before a jury again. The Oregon Supreme Court overturned the first jury's punitive-damage award because of the way the jury was instructed to deliberate. This time, with a slight but important tweak to the instructions, a new 12-person jury will decide how reprehensible the tobacco maker's actions were in causing the death of Salem resident Michelle Schwarz. The jury can award up to $300 million. Jurors were not told about the original verdict of $150 million. Opening statements began today in the courtroom of Judge Henry Kantor. The trial is expected to last four weeks. . . . Schwarz began smoking in 1964 when she was 18. She tried to quit but failed. In 1976, Philip Morris introduced a low-tar cigarette under the brand Merit. Schwarz, who smoked a pack a day, believed the low-tar cigarettes weren't as harmful as regular cigarettes, so she switched. "She smoked these low-tar cigarettes from 1976 until her death in 1999" at age 53, said Larry Wobbrock, an attorney for Schwarz's estate. "She smoked them up until she got sick and couldn't." Schwarz died after contracting lung cancer that metastasized with a tumor in her brain. The family's attorneys successfully argued to the first jury that Philip Morris was aware that low-tar smokers tended to inhale more deeply and hold the smoke longer in their lungs -- enabling smokers to rationalize a habit they would otherwise consider deadly. "The case is no longer about the conduct of Michelle Schwarz. It's about the misconduct of Philip Morris," Wobbrock said. An attorney for Philip Morris, however, spoke at length about how Schwarz should have known that smoking in general was dangerous. . . . Kelly also said Philip Morris doesn't make $300 million of profit in five days. What's more, he said Philip Morris has paid dearly for damage caused by smoking -- $55 billion since 1997 as part of an agreement with 50 state attorneys general. About $526 million of that has gone to Oregon. The Oregonian https://blog.advance.net/mt-static/html/agreen@oregonian.com (Aimee Green, The Oregonian) Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-27/altria-promotes-barrington-chief-executive-as-szymanczyk-retires.html http://tobacco.org/news/333127.html Altria Group Inc. (MO), the largest seller of tobacco in the U.S., promoted Vice Chairman Martin J. Barrington to chief executive officer as Michael E. Szymanczyk retires. Barrington, who also will become chairman, has held various positions since 1993, including general counsel of the U.S. and international tobacco units, Altria said in a statement today. David Beran, 57, vice chairman for business operations, was named president and chief operating officer. Barrington, 58, will take over as Altria’s top-selling Marlboro cigarettes lose smokers to less-expensive brands, leading to a 0.7 percentage point drop in market share to 41.6 percent in the quarter. Shipment declines by Altria’s Philip Morris USA, which makes about half of the cigarettes sold in the U.S., deepened after the federal government boosted taxes by 62 cents a pack in 2009. The promotions of Barrington and Beran bring “a unique and balanced approach to the management of the business,” Vivien Azer, an analyst at Citigroup Inc. in New York, wrote today in a note to clients. She rates Altria “neutral.” Bloomberg News mtownsend9@bloomberg.net (Matt Townsend and Chris Burritt) Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120202006048/en/Philip-Morris-International-PMI-Host-Webcast-2011 http://tobacco.org/news/333091.html Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE/Euronext Paris: PM) will host a live audio webcast at www.pmi.com on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. ET to discuss 2011 Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter results, which will be issued mid-morning the same day. During the webcast, Louis C. Camilleri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Hermann Waldemer, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the company’s 2011 Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter results, the outlook for 2012, and answer questions from the investment community and news media. The webcast will be in a listen-only mode. Business Wire Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2012/01/123_103838.html http://tobacco.org/news/333040.html Beginning Feb. 10, signature cigarette brands Parliament and Marlboro of Philip Morris International (PMI) Korea, will sell at 2,700 won a pack, up by 200 won, while the price of Virginia Slim will go up by 100 won to 2,900 won. The price hike of 6.8 percent on average follows similar increases by competitors in the domestic market. ``PMI Korea has not increased the prices of its products since 2002. Unavoidably, the company faces pressure to do so as payrolls and costs of raw materials have jumped over the past decade,’’ a Seoul analyst said. ``Now all eyes are on KT&G on whether or not the market leader will do the same as its other two rivals, British American Tobacco (BAT) Korea and JT International (JTI) Korea, have already raised their prices.’’ Korea Times voc200@koreatimes.co.kr (Kim Tae-gyu) Korea - North Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-01/donations-yarn/3805064 http://tobacco.org/news/333037.html New figures have revealed the political spending of tobacco companies, the mining industry and clubs as they fought to reverse government policy in the past financial year. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has released financial disclosure returns that show the donations of more than $11,500 made to political parties and the political expenditure of donors. Large tobacco companies spent about $14 million as they fought against the Federal Government's plain packaging laws. British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris and Imperial Tobacco gave a total of $9 million to the Alliance of Australian Retailers, which led the campaign against the laws. Imperial Tobacco also separately spent more than $4 million fighting the move with printed material and broadcast advertising and Philip Morris added to that with nearly $500,000. The Coalition also received donations worth $184,000 from British American Tobacco and $79,000 from Philip Morris. Australian Broadcasting Corporation Australia Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/weblog/article/go-bobstar/show_comments http://tobacco.org/news/333035.html The Tasmania Greens today said it was disappointing but unsurprising that the Tasmanian Liberal Party had received another large cash handout from their friends at Big Tobacco. Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that today's release of the previous year's political donations report by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) showed that the Liberals received $22,000 from British American Tobacco and $15,900 from Phillip Morris. Mr McKim said the figures could be the tip of the iceberg, because current disclosure laws do not require political parties to provide a complete or up-to-date picture of the donations they receive. "As the only state party still accepting tobacco company political donations, any credibility the Liberals might have sought on public health policy has gone up in smoke," Mr McKim said. "British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris and the Tasmanian Liberal Party continue to be friends-with-benefits, which explains the Liberals' reprehensible stance against a ban on tobacco company donations." Tasmanian Times Australia Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.scribd.com/document_downloads/direct/75813626?extension=pdf&ft=1327689966&lt=1327693576&uahk=NMO09ZhYZy+iPXb82zg1OBxETvI http://tobacco.org/news/332899.html Defendants have not responded to Plaintiffs Application for Preliminary Injunction, nor made any filing in this case, nor have Defendants appeared in this matter either individually or through counsel. UPON CONSIDERATION of the Motion, the pertinent portions of the Record, and being otherwise fully advised in the premises, the Court enters the following Order. I. BACKGROUND1 Plaintiff Philip Morris USA is the registered owner of numerous trademarks used in connection with the manufacture and distribution of cigarettes. Among these trademarks are trademarks associated with United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") No. 68,502, registered on April 14, 1908, and USPTO No. 938,510, registered on July 25, 1972 (collectively, "Philip Morris USA Marks"). Defendants are unknown individuals, residing in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") . . . Recently Plaintiff became aware of the potential sale of counterfeit versions of Plaintiff's products by Defendants. This is alleged to have been accomplished by Defendants through the operation of commercial Internet websites operating under domain names such as marlborocigarette.biz, marlboro-gold.biz, and marlborowholesale.com.2 In response to Defendants' alleged trademark infringement, Plaintiff retained Investigative Consultants, a licensed private investigative firm, to investigate the sale of counterfeit versions of Plaintiff's products by Defendants. . . . 5. The domain name Registrars for the Subject Domain Names are directed, to the extent it is not already done, to transfer to Plaintiff's counsel, for deposit with this Court, domain name certificates for the Subject Domain Names; 6. The Registrars and the top-level domain (TLD) Registries for the Subject Domain Names, upon receipt of this Preliminary Injunction shall, to the extent it is not already done, cause to be changed or change the registrar of record for the Subject Domain Names . . . Plaintiff may continue to enter the Subject Domain Names into Google's Webmaster Tools and cancel any redirection of the domains that have been entered there by Defendants which redirect traffic to the counterfeit operations to a new domain name and thereby evade the provisions of this Order; . . . 9. Upon receipt of notice of this Order, Western Union Financial Services, Inc. ("Western Union") shall divert and/or continue diverting all money transfers sent by United States consumers to: (1) Zhilin Jiang in Putian, China, with the date of birth and identification number provided by the recipient of MTCN 455-906-9491; (2) Haidong Huang in Putian, China, with the date of birth and identification number provided by the recipient of MTCN 853673-9729; and (3) Haidong Huang in Putian, China, with the date of birth and identification number provided by the recipient of MTCN 9464580813, and continue to hold such transfers until it receives further direction from the Court;4 10. In the event any money transfers are diverted in accordance with Paragraph 9 of this Order, Western Union shall be permitted to inform consumers who may contact Western Union about the transfers that the transfers are being held pursuant to a Court Order in Philip Morris USA Inc. v. Jiang Scribd China USA Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT