MO US Equity☆

mo-20251231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025

OR

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number 1-08940

ALTRIA GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

6601 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code 804-274-2200

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbols Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.33 1/3 par value MO New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. þ Yes ̈ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ̈ Yes þ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. þ Yes ̈ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). þ Yes ̈ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer þ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ̈

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ̈

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). ☐ Yes þ No

As of June 30, 2025, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $98 billion based on the closing sale price of the common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange.

Class Outstanding at February 13, 2026

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

PART I

Item 1. Business 1

Item 1A. Risk Factors 5

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 15

Item 1C. Cybersecurity 15

Item 2. Properties 17

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 18

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 18

PART II

Item 6. [Reserved] 20

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 51

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 52

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 105

Item 9B. Other Information 105

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 105

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 105

Item 11. Executive Compensation 106

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 106

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 107

Table of Contents

Part I

Item 1. Business.

General Development of Business

When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”), the terms “Altria,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to either (i) Altria Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries or (ii) Altria Group, Inc. only and not its consolidated subsidiaries, as appropriate in the context.

We have a leading portfolio of tobacco products for U.S. tobacco consumers age 21+. We are MovingBeyondSmokingTM, by responsibly transitioning adult smokers to a smoke-free future, competing vigorously for existing smoke-free adult nicotine consumers and exploring new growth opportunities - beyond the United States and beyond nicotine (“Vision”).

Our wholly owned subsidiaries include Philip Morris USA Inc. (“PM USA”), which is engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes; John Middleton Co. (“Middleton”), which is engaged in the manufacture and sale of machine-made large cigars and is a wholly owned subsidiary of PM USA; UST LLC (“UST”), which, through its wholly owned subsidiary U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC (“USSTC”), is engaged in the manufacture and sale of moist smokeless tobacco (“MST”) products; Helix Innovations LLC (“Helix”) and its foreign affiliates (“Helix International”), which are engaged in the manufacture and sale of oral nicotine pouches; and NJOY, LLC (“NJOY”), which is engaged in the manufacture and sale of e-vapor products. We operate primarily within the United States and generate substantially all of our revenue from domestic customers. Other wholly owned subsidiaries include Altria Group Distribution Company (“AGDC”), which provides domestic sales and distribution services to our operating companies, and Altria Client Services LLC (“ALCS”), which provides various support services to our companies in areas such as legal, regulatory, research and product development, consumer engagement, finance, human resources and external affairs.

At December 31, 2025, we owned a 75% economic interest in Horizon Innovations LLC (“Horizon”), a joint venture with JTI (US) Holding, Inc. (“JTIUH”), a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco Inc. (“Japan Tobacco”), which owned the remaining 25% economic interest. Horizon is responsible for the U.S. marketing and commercialization of heated tobacco stick (“HTS”) products owned by either party.

At December 31, 2025, our reportable segments were smokeable products, oral tobacco products and e-vapor products. Our all other category included (i) Horizon; (ii) Helix International; and (iii) other business activities, which primarily consists of research and development (“R&D”) expense related to certain new product platforms and technologies. For further information, see Note 15. Segment Reporting to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this Form 10-K (“Item 8”).

Our investments include Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (“ABI”) and Cronos Group Inc. (“Cronos”), which we account for under the equity method of accounting using a one-quarter lag.

Description of Business

Portions of the information relating to this Item are included in Operating Results by Business Segment in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operationsof this Form 10-K (“Item 7”).

Our operating companies include PM USA, Middleton, USSTC, Helix and NJOY.

The products of our operating companies include: (i) smokeable tobacco products, consisting of combustible cigarettes manufactured and sold by PM USA and machine-made large cigars manufactured and sold by Middleton; (ii) oral tobacco products, consisting of MST products manufactured and sold by USSTC and oral nicotine pouches manufactured and sold by Helix; and (iii) e-vapor products manufactured and sold by NJOY.

▪Cigarettes: PM USA is the largest cigarette company in the United States and substantially all cigarettes are manufactured and sold to customers in the United States. Marlboro, the principal cigarette brand of PM USA, has been the largest-selling cigarette brand in the United States for over 50 years. Total smokeable products segment’s cigarettes shipment volume in the United States was 61.8 billion units in 2025, a decrease of 10.0% from 2024.

▪Cigars: Middleton is engaged in the manufacture and sale of machine-made large cigars. Middleton contracts with a third-party importer to supply substantially all of its cigars and sells substantially all of its cigars to customers in the United States. Black & Mild is the principal cigar brand of Middleton. Total smokeable products segment’s cigars shipment volume was approximately 1.8 billion units in 2025, an increase of 1.8% from 2024.

▪Oral tobacco products: USSTC is the leading producer and marketer of MST products. The oral tobacco products segment includes the premium brands, Copenhagen and Skoal, and a value brand, Red Seal,sold by USSTC. In addition, the oral tobacco products segment includes on! oral nicotine pouches sold by Helix. Substantially all of the oral tobacco products are manufactured and sold to customers in the United States. Total oral tobacco products segment’s shipment volume was 732.4 million units in 2025, a decrease of 5.5% from 2024.

1

Table of Contents

▪E-Vapor products: NJOY contracts with third-party importers to supply all of its products and sells its e-vapor products to customers in the United States. NJOY’s product portfolio of tobacco and menthol e-vapor products is covered by marketing granted orders (“MGO”) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). NJOY ACE,the principal e-vapor product of NJOY, is subject to an exclusion order and cease-and-desist orders issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission (“ITC”) prohibiting the importation and sale of NJOY ACE in the United States, as further discussed in Note 18. Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 (“Note 18”).

▪Other tobacco products: In connection with the joint venture agreement with JTIUH, Horizon will market and commercialize HTS products, which are defined in the joint venture agreement as products that include both (i) a tobacco heating device intended to heat the consumable without combusting and (ii) a consumable that meets the definition of a cigarette under the U.S. Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act. Horizon is responsible for the U.S. commercialization of current and future HTS products owned by either party and, upon authorization by the FDA, will become the exclusive entity through which the parties market and commercialize HTS products in the United States. Upon FDA authorization of Ploom HTS products, JTIUH will supply Ploom HTS devices and PM USA will manufacture Marlboro HTS consumables for U.S. commercialization. As of February 25, 2026, there are no products in the U.S. marketplace from the joint venture.

▪Distribution, Competition and Raw Materials: Our tobacco subsidiaries sell their tobacco products principally to wholesalers (including distributors) and large retail organizations, including chain stores.

The market for tobacco products is highly competitive, characterized by brand recognition and loyalty, with product quality, taste, price, product innovation, marketing, packaging, distribution and promotional activities constituting the significant methods of competition. Promotional activities include, in certain instances and where permitted by law, allowances, the distribution of incentive items, price promotions, product promotions, coupons and other discounts.

In the United States, under a contract growing program, PM USA purchases the majority of its burley and flue-cured leaf tobaccos directly from domestic tobacco growers. Under the terms of this program, PM USA agrees to purchase the amount of tobacco specified in the grower contracts that meets PM USA’s grade and quality standards. PM USA also purchases a portion of its tobacco requirements through leaf merchants.

Middleton purchases burley, dark air-cured and flue-cured leaf tobaccos through leaf merchants. Middleton does not have a contract growing program.

USSTC purchases dark fire-cured, dark air-cured and burley leaf tobaccos from domestic tobacco growers under a contract growing program. Under the terms of this program, USSTC agrees to purchase the amount of tobacco specified in the grower contracts that meets USSTC’s grade and quality standards.

Helix, through an affiliate, and NJOY purchase tobacco-derived nicotine materials from suppliers and believe their suppliers can satisfy current and anticipated future production requirements.

Our tobacco subsidiaries believe there is an adequate supply of tobacco in the world markets to satisfy their current and anticipated production requirements.

Other Matters

▪Customers: For a discussion of our largest customers, including their percentages of our consolidated net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, see Note 15. Segment Reporting to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 (“Note 15”).

▪Executive Officers of Altria: The disclosure regarding executive officers is included in Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance - Information about Our Executive Officers as of February 13, 2026 of this Form 10-K.

▪Human Capital Resources: We believe our workforce is critical to achieving our Vision. Attracting, developing, retaining and deploying the best talent with the skills to make significant progress toward our Vision is a key business priority. Moreover, we recognize the importance of doing business the right way. We believe culture influences employee actions and decision making. This is why we dedicate resources to promoting an engaging workplace; attracting, developing, retaining and deploying talented employees to build a high-performing and diverse talent pipeline; promoting a culture of compliance and integrity; creating a safe workplace; and rewarding and recognizing employees for both the results they deliver and, importantly, how they deliver them.

Oversight and Management

Our Human Resources department is responsible for managing employment-related matters, including recruiting and hiring, onboarding, compensation and benefits design and implementation, performance management, career management and succession planning and professional and learning development. Our Board of Directors (“Board of Directors” or “Board”) and the Compensation and Talent Development Committee provide oversight of human capital matters, including reviewing initiatives and programs related to corporate culture and enterprise-wide talent development.

2

Table of Contents

One of our core Responsibility Focus Areas revolves around our people as we are focused on our employees’ safety, wellbeing and opportunity. We invest in our people to support their development while creating a safe and empowering environment where we believe our employees can thrive. We regularly report specific goals and progress metrics related to these efforts on our website (www.altria.com).

Compensation and Benefits

Our compensation and benefits programs are designed to help us attract, retain and motivate strong talent. However, we recognize that the decreasing social acceptance of tobacco usage may impact our ability to attract and retain talent with skills necessary for us to achieve our Vision. We work to manage this risk by, among other things, targeting total compensation packages to be above peer companies with which we compete for talent. Depending on employee level, total compensation includes different elements – base salary, annual cash incentives, long-term equity and cash incentives and benefits.

We are committed to pay equity across our companies. Based on the most recent annual analysis we conducted in 2025, for employees performing the same or similar duties regardless of any differentiating factors, such as performance and tenure, salaries of our female employees were 98.4% of those of our male employees, and salaries of our employees of color were 98.5% of those of our white employees. If we adjust for differentiating factors that legitimately influence pay, salaries of our female employees were 99.9% of those of our male employees, and salaries of our employees of color were 99.9% of those of our white employees.

In addition to cash and equity compensation, we offer generous employee benefits such as significant company contributions to deferred profit sharing plans, consumer-driven health plan coverage, vacation and holiday pay, disability and life insurance. We also offer up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to bond with a newborn child, the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, or to care for a family member who has a serious health condition. Our benefits also include physical, emotional and financial wellness programs and family creation assistance benefits, such as reimbursement of surrogacy, adoption assistance and doula expenses. While there is some variability in employee benefits across our companies, the examples we provide are available to most employees.

We are also committed to investing in the educational development of our workforce through a tuition refund program for job-related courses or company-related degrees. We also provide eligible employees with a company-funded contribution applied to the employee’s qualified higher education student loans to help reduce student loan debt.

Attracting, Developing, Retaining and Deploying Talent

We are focused on identifying the most qualified talent and investing in leader and employee development to build a diverse talent pipeline prepared and willing to lead at every level. Additionally, we are dedicated to being an engaging place to work for all employees, regardless of personal background or work function. We recognize the critical importance of these efforts toward pursuing our Vision and believe in the value of a workforce composed of a broad and diverse spectrum of backgrounds, skills, experiences and cultures.

Our salaried entry-level recruitment efforts include building relationships with university students, internship opportunities and partnerships with organizations that support a broad range of students. We also hire experienced employees with demonstrated skills and/or leadership capabilities.

To help our employees succeed in their roles and develop in their careers, we emphasize ongoing training and leadership development opportunities. Building skills that drive innovation and aligning our employees to our Vision is important for our long-term success. The Human Resources department leads our learning and development efforts partnering with learning professionals embedded in functions throughout our operating and services companies. Employees have access to a wide variety of development programs, including new employee onboarding, in-person, virtual and self-guided training programs, technical training, including training to maintain professional certifications, and our educational refund program for continuing education.

We also have an employee recognition program that allows leaders and employees to reward and recognize colleagues for their outstanding performance and everyday excellence.

We regularly conduct confidential employee engagement surveys to seek feedback on a variety of topics, including employee satisfaction, support from leadership, corporate culture and culture of compliance. In addition, in 2025, these quarterly employee surveys sought feedback on topics such as employee engagement, inclusion, equal opportunity, compliance, management support, modernization efforts and employees’ understanding and belief in business strategy and organizational changes. Survey results, including comparisons to prior results, are shared with our employees and our Board and are used to modify or enhance our human capital management programs.

We also monitor our progress toward building our organization through various metrics, including comparisons to external benchmarks, and report workforce data annually. Our data-driven efforts focus on removing barriers to equal opportunity in compliance with applicable law.

3

Table of Contents

Work Modernization

We announced a multi-phase Optimize & Accelerate initiative (“Initiative”) in October 2024 designed to enhance organizational speed, efficiency and effectiveness. The Initiative includes centralizing work, outsourcing certain transactional activities and streamlining, automating and standardizing processes across the enterprise. We are realizing process efficiencies, improving task turnaround times through centralized and automated workflows and enhancing process effectiveness. Our Accelerated Business Solutions organization is assisting with sustaining these improvements and driving further efficiency and process optimization by using technology and through collaboration with external service providers. To support these enhanced business processes, we are implementing technology solutions, organizational design changes and deploying enterprise-wide and function-specific change management programs to facilitate workforce adoption. For additional information, see Our Business in Item 7.

Workplace Safety

Our goal is for every employee to experience an injury-free career, which is supported by our Safety Management System. We strive for continuous improvement in our employee safety program through Safety Management System infrastructure. Our Occupational Safety and Health Administration recordable injury rate for 2025 was 1.7% (versus 1.8% for 2024) and remains below the benchmark for companies in the U.S. Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing industry classification.

Number of Employeesand Labor Relations

At December 31, 2025, we employed approximately 5,900 people. Twenty-six percent of our employees were hourly manufacturing employees who are members of labor unions subject to collective bargaining agreements. We believe we engage and collaborate effectively with our hourly employees, as demonstrated by the positive working relationship between our companies and the unions. We also have long-term agreements that resolve any collective bargaining dispute through binding arbitration, which further demonstrates our trust-based relationship with the unions.

Supply Chain Human Capital Matters

We manage human capital risks across our global supply chain through a risk‐based due diligence approach focused on identifying and addressing potential labor‐related issues. This approach includes supplier assessments, contractual requirements and targeted monitoring, with emphasis on higher‐risk geographies, sectors and categories.

Where applicable, we use industry-led initiatives, including the GAP Connections Program and the Sustainable Tobacco Program, to evaluate supplier practices against labor management and human rights standards. Notably, in 2025, 100% of our leaf and nicotine suppliers participated in these programs, underscoring our commitment to upholding high standards throughout our supply network. In addition, our Supplier Code of Conduct sets expectations for all suppliers, including prohibitions on child labor, forced labor and other human rights violations.

We conduct social compliance audits of select suppliers, prioritizing those in high‐risk regions, and require corrective actions when findings occur. Suppliers operating in high‐risk countries are subject to enhanced due diligence and ongoing monitoring.

More information about efforts discussed in this section can be found in our Corporate Responsibility Reports on our website (www.altria.com).

▪Intellectual Property: Trademarks are of material importance to us and are protected by registration or otherwise. In addition, as of December 31, 2025, the portfolio of United States patents owned by our businesses, as a whole, was material to us and our businesses. However, no one patent or group of related patents was material to our businesses as of December 31, 2025. Our businesses also have proprietary trade secrets, technology, know-how, processes and other intellectual property rights that are protected by appropriate confidentiality measures. Certain trade secrets are material to us and our businesses.

▪Government Regulations: We are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations. For example, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (“FSPTCA”) provides the FDA with broad authority to regulate the design, manufacture, packaging, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution of tobacco products; the authority to require disclosures of related information; and the authority to enforce the FSPTCA and related regulations. For further discussion of laws and regulations impacting our operating companies, see Operating Results by Business Segment - Business Environment in Item 7.

We and our subsidiaries (and former subsidiaries) are also subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations concerning the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise related to environmental protection, including, in the United States: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (commonly known as “Superfund”), which can impose joint and several liability on each responsible party. Altria and our former subsidiaries are involved in several matters subjecting them to potential costs of remediation and natural resource damages under Superfund or other laws and regulations. Our subsidiaries expect to continue to make capital and other expenditures in connection with environmental laws and regulations. In the opinion of our management, however, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, including the payment of any remediation costs or damages and related expenditures, has not had, and is not expected to have, a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, capital expenditures, financial position or cash flows.

4

Table of Contents

For further discussion of the foregoing matters, the business environment, trends in market demand and competitive conditions, and related risks, see Item 1A. Risk Factors of this Form 10-K (“Item 1A”) and Critical Accounting Estimates and Operating Results by Business Segment - Business Environment in Item 7.

Available Information

We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The SEC maintains an Internet website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers from which investors can electronically access our SEC filings.

We make available free of charge on or through our website (www.altria.com) our Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Investors can access our filings with the SEC by visiting www.altria.com/secfilings.

The information on our respective websites is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this Form 10-K or incorporated into any other filings we make with the SEC.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Our business is subject to various risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, may materially affect actual results and are often outside of our control. We identify a number of these risks and uncertainties below. You should read the following risk factors carefully in connection with evaluating our business and the forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K.

This Form 10-K contains statements concerning our expectations, plans, objectives, future financial performance and other statements that are not historical facts. You can identify these forward-looking statements by our use of words such as “strategy,” “expects,” “continues,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “will,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “projects,” “goals,” “objectives,” “guidance,” “targets” and other words of similar meaning. You can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts.

We cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will be realized, although we believe we have been prudent in our plans, estimates and assumptions. Achievement of future results is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate. If risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could differ materially from those anticipated. You should bear this in mind as you consider forward-looking statements and whether to invest in or remain invested in our securities. Under the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, we identify important factors that, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual results and outcomes, including with respect to our ability to achieve our Vision, to differ materially from those contained in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements we make. We elaborate on these important factors and the risks we face throughout this Form 10-K, particularly in the “Executive Summary” and “Business Environment” sections preceding our discussion of the operating results of our segments in Item 7. You should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all factors and risks. Consequently, you should not consider the foregoing list to be complete. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that we may make from time to time except as required by applicable law.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Business Operations Risks

We may be unsuccessful in anticipating and responding to changes in adult nicotine consumer purchase behavior, including as a result of difficult economic conditions, and preferences, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Our operating companies’ portfolios of nicotine products are largely comprised of premium brands, such as Marlboro, Copenhagen and Skoal. The willingness of adult nicotine consumers to purchase premium brands is affected by macroeconomic conditions, including inflation and overall economic stability. In periods of economic uncertainty and high inflation, we have observed that adult nicotine consumers reduce consumption, purchase more discount brands and consider lower-priced nicotine products, increasing the market share of competitive discount products.

If our operating companies are unable to take actions to mitigate the effects of inflationary pressures and other factors that contribute to their products’ industry volume decline rates, it could negatively impact our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position. For example, due to inflationary pressures and other adverse macroeconomic factors, our operating companies may be unable to sufficiently increase the prices of their premium products to offset volume declines from consumers down-trading to lower-priced competitive brands or moving across nicotine product categories. This inability to increase product prices could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

In addition, as adult nicotine consumer preferences evolve, consumers are increasingly moving across nicotine product categories, including selecting different categories of nicotine products than those they traditionally purchase and purchasing illicit flavored e-vapor

5

Table of Contents

products. These evolving preferences have primarily resulted in domestic cigarette industry volume declines, which have negatively impacted our business.

Our ability to effectively respond to new and evolving adult nicotine consumer purchase behavior catalyzed by challenging macroeconomic conditions and changes in adult nicotine consumer preferences depends on our ability to promote brand equity successfully among our premium and discount brands and broaden our product portfolios across price-points and categories, including by bringing to market new and innovative nicotine products that appeal to adult nicotine consumers. Our failure to do so or our failure to anticipate changing adult nicotine consumer preferences, improve productivity or protect or enhance margins through cost savings and price increases, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

We face significant competition, including from the growth of innovative nicotine products, and our failure to compete effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

Our operating companies operate in highly competitive environments. Significant competition exists with respect to product quality, taste, price, product innovation, marketing, packaging, distribution and promotional activities. Because many of our operating companies’ products are market leaders, we are subject to antitrust risk. In addition, as adult nicotine consumer preferences evolve, consumers are increasingly moving across nicotine product categories. Our operating companies’ failure to compete effectively in these environments could negatively impact their profitability, market share and shipment volume.

The growth of innovative nicotine products, including legal and illicit e-vapor products and oral nicotine pouches, has contributed to reductions in the consumption levels and industry sales volumes of cigarettes and other tobacco products, including MST products. These reductions have negatively impacted our business. Furthermore, the proliferation of illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products has negatively impacted the growth of FDA-authorized e-vapor products, including NJOY’s products. If we are unable to compete effectively in innovative nicotine product categories, including through internal product development, on! oral nicotine pouch products, NJOY e-vapor products, our participation in Horizon and other potential future relationships and investments, such inability could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

The competitive environments in which our operating companies compete and our operating companies’ competitive positions can be significantly impacted by the price differentials between premium and discount brands. PM USA faces competition from lower-priced brands sold by certain domestic and foreign manufacturers that have cost advantages because they are not parties to settlements of certain healthcare cost recovery litigation in the United States and, as such, are not required to make annual settlement payments as required by the parties to the settlements. These settlement payments, which are inflation-adjusted, are significant for PM USA and have contributed to substantial cigarette price increases to help cover their cost. Manufacturers not party to the settlements are subject to state escrow legislation requiring escrow deposits. Such manufacturers may avoid these escrow obligations by concentrating on certain states where escrow deposits are not required or are required on fewer than all such manufacturers’ cigarettes sold in such states.

Additional price competition has resulted from diversion into the United States market of cigarettes intended for sale outside the United States, diversion of tobacco products intended for sale in one taxing jurisdiction within the United States into another taxing jurisdiction, the sale of counterfeit cigarettes by third parties, the sale of cigarettes by third parties over the Internet and by other means designed to avoid collection of applicable taxes and imports of foreign lower-priced brands.

Tobacco products imported to the United States are subject to the same federal excise tax as those manufactured domestically. Manufacturers of tobacco products imported to the United States can receive refunds of certain duties, taxes and fees paid on those products when offsetting volumes of the same or substantially similar products are subsequently exported out of the United States. The program that allows for these refunds is referred to as “duty drawback.” If PM USA is unable to realize duty drawback to the same extent as other manufacturers, we may be at a competitive disadvantage with respect to our ability to invest in the long-term growth of our core tobacco businesses and contribute to the strategic growth of our innovative nicotine product portfolio.

Our failure to compete effectively, including as a result of litigation settlement obligations, the impacts of illicit trade in nicotine products, the price differentials between premium and discount brands and our inability to realize available tax advantages, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

We may be unsuccessful in commercializing innovative products, including nicotine products with reduced health risks relative to certain other nicotine products and that appeal to adult nicotine consumers, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

We have growth strategies involving innovative products that may have reduced health risks relative to certain other nicotine products, while continuing to offer adult nicotine consumers (within and outside the United States) products that meet their taste expectations and evolving preferences. These strategies include e-vapor, heated tobacco and oral nicotine pouch products. For example, in the first quarter of 2026, we commercialized on! PLUS oral nicotine pouch products, and we have plans to commercialize additional on! and NJOY products. If the outcome of any legal proceedings or investigations involving NJOY prevent us from, or we are otherwise unsuccessful in, executing these strategies, there could be a material negative impact on our business and our ability to achieve our Vision. For example, as a result of a patent lawsuit adjudicated before the ITC, the ITC imposed bans on the importation of NJOY ACE

6

Table of Contents

into the United States and our sale and marketing of NJOY ACE products previously imported into the United States. We have appealed these bans to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but the bans will remain in effect during the pendency of the appeal. The success of Horizon, our joint venture with JTIUH for the marketing and commercialization of HTS products in the United States, in generating new revenue streams by commercializing current and future HTS products owned by us or Japan Tobacco is dependent upon a number of factors. These factors include (i) receipt of regulatory authorizations, (ii) prevailing economic, market, regulatory or business conditions, or changes in such conditions, negatively affecting the parties, (iii) changes in market or other conditions resulting in unanticipated delays in the design and development of future products or the commencement of test launches, (iv) the outcome of any legal proceedings or investigations that may be instituted against the parties or others related to the joint venture, (v) changes in the preferences of U.S. adult nicotine consumers and (vi) the failure to meet commercialization milestones. Such factors could have a negative effect on the success of Horizon and any future collaboration or partnership between the parties, which could impact our ability to generate new revenue streams and enter new geographic markets.

Lengthy and unpredictable regulatory review periods complicate efforts to strategize and plan with respect to commercialization of new products, and we cannot predict or influence the speed with which the FDA reviews pre-market tobacco applications (“PMTA”). Our operating companies may decide to commercialize products that have not received marketing granted orders from the FDA if the operating company submitted a PMTA with respect to any such product in compliance with the FSPTCA and the FDA failed to issue a marketing order within the statutory review period. It is possible that the FDA may bring an enforcement action relating to commercialized products for which a PMTA has been pending longer than the statutory review period.

If we do not succeed in commercializing innovative nicotine products that appeal to adult nicotine consumers or we fail to obtain or maintain regulatory authorization for the marketing or sale of these products, including with claims of reduced health risks, we could be at a competitive disadvantage, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

Our inability to successfully counter the effects of illicit trade in nicotine products, including e-vapor products, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

Illicit trade in nicotine products has had, and could continue to have, an adverse impact on our business, including the sales volumes and market shares of our operating companies’ innovative and smoke-free products and traditional tobacco products.Illicit trade in nicotine products can take many forms, including the sale of counterfeit products; the sale of products that do not comply with the FSPTCA and FDA regulations; the sale of products in the United States that are intended for sale outside the country; the sale of untaxed products over the Internet and by other means designed to avoid the collection of applicable taxes; and the diversion into one taxing jurisdiction of products intended for sale in another jurisdiction.Counterfeit versions of our operating companies’ products can negatively affect adult nicotine consumer experiences with and opinions of those brands as well as other stakeholders’ perceptions and opinions of our companies and brands.Illicit trade in nicotine products also harms law-abiding wholesalers and retailers by depriving them of lawful sales and undermines the significant investment we have made in legitimate distribution channels.Moreover, illicit trade in nicotine products results in federal, state and local governments losing tax revenues.Losses in tax revenues can cause such governments to take various actions, including increasing excise taxes, imposing legislative or regulatory requirements, or asserting claims against manufacturers of nicotine products or members of the trade channels through which such nicotine products are legally distributed and sold, each of which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

In the e-vapor category, illicit flavored disposable product usage has significantly increased, and such products now comprise the majority of the e-vapor category. The impacts of this dynamic include declines in FDA-authorized e-vapor product volume and increased cross-category movement among adult cigarette smokers that has contributed to domestic cigarette industry volume declines. Recent enforcement actions by regulatory agencies have not had a material impact in curbing the proliferation and sale of illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products. This dynamic has made the operating environment challenging for our businesses. We have increased engagement with the FDA and other government agencies to encourage enforcement action against these illicit products, but such enforcement has been inadequate to date. We also have taken legal action to protect our e-vapor business, which exposes us to additional costs and expenses. Our failure to counter the impacts of illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products and the FDA’s failure to take meaningful enforcement actions against manufacturers and products that violate the law could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

Failure to complete or manage strategic transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and commercial relationships with and investments in third parties, or realize the anticipated benefits of such transactions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

We regularly evaluate potential strategic transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and commercial relationships with and investments in third parties. Opportunities for strategic transactions may be limited, and the success of any such transaction is dependent upon our ability to complete and realize the expected benefits of the transaction in the expected time frame or at all. Following the completion of a transaction, there may be certain financial, managerial, staffing and talent and operational risks, including diversion of management’s attention from existing core businesses, difficulties integrating other businesses into existing operations and

7

Table of Contents

other challenges. We may not be able to enter into attractive business relationships or execute and complete strategic transactions on favorable terms or at all. Any such relationships or transactions may not improve our competitive position or have the intended financial outcomes and may subject us to increased legal risk, including with respect to intellectual property infringement or breach of contract claims. For example, our former investment in JUUL Labs, Inc. (“JUUL”) did not result in and, to date, our investment in Cronos has not, resulted in the economic and competitive advantages expected at the time the investments were made.

We may not be able to realize the expected benefits of our acquisition of NJOY Holdings, Inc. (“NJOY Transaction”) in the expected manner or timeframe, if at all, including due to the ITC exclusion order and cease-and-desist orders prohibiting the importation and sale of NJOY ACE in the United States. In 2025, we recorded impairments of the value of the goodwill and other intangible assets within our e-vapor reporting unit as a result of these orders and our expectation that effective enforcement against illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products would occur more gradually than initially anticipated. Other factors that could negatively impact our ability to realize the expected benefits of the NJOY Transaction in the expected manner or timeframe, if at all, include (i) our failure to receive or maintain regulatory authorizations; (ii) changes in adult nicotine consumer preferences; (iii) our failure to comply with regulatory requirements; (iv) prevailing economic, market, regulatory or business conditions, or changes in such conditions negatively affecting our business and our plans with respect to the e-vapor category and (v) the outcome of any current or future legal proceeding or investigation related to the NJOY Transaction, NJOY or its products.

PM USA imports cigarettes manufactured outside the United States for sale domestically, and PM USA has entered into strategic commercial relationships to manufacture cigarettes in the United States for export to third parties for sale in international markets. If PM USA is unable to maintain, expand upon or enter into new relationships of this type, it may hinder PM USA’s ability to increase the efficiency of its cigarette manufacturing operations, develop capabilities needed to comply with various international product and other standards and invest in the long-term growth of our core tobacco businesses and the strategic growth of our innovative nicotine product portfolio.

If the NJOY Transaction, our strategic relationships with respect to contract manufacturing or any other acquisition, disposition, joint venture, investment in a third party or other strategic relationship is not successful, there could be a material negative impact on our business, financial position and results of operations and our ability to achieve our Vision.

Significant changes in price, availability or quality of tobacco, other raw materials or component parts could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and business.

Shifts in crops (such as those driven by macroeconomic conditions and adverse weather patterns), government restrictions and mandated prices, production control programs, economic trade sanctions, import duties and tariffs, international trade disruptions, labor disruptions, inflation, geopolitical instability, climate and environmental changes and disruptions due to man-made or natural disasters may increase the cost or reduce the supply or quality of tobacco and other raw materials, ingredients and component parts used to manufacture our operating companies’ products. Any significant change in such factors could restrict our ability to continue manufacturing and marketing existing products or impact adult nicotine consumer product acceptability and have a material adverse effect on our business and profitability.

For varieties of tobacco only available in limited geographies, government-mandated prices and production control programs, political instability or government prohibitions on the import or export of tobacco in certain countries pose additional risks to price, availability and quality. As consumer demand increases for innovative smoke-free products and decreases for combustible and MST products, the volume of tobacco leaf required for production of these products has decreased, resulting in reduced tobacco leaf demand. Reduced demand for tobacco leaf may result in the reduced supply and availability of domestic tobacco and increased costs, as growers divert resources to other crops or cease farming. Macroeconomic factors, such as tariffs, may exacerbate reductions in demand for tobacco leaf by increasing the cost of purchasing tobacco leaf from a supplier in another country. The unavailability or unacceptability of any one or more particular varieties of tobacco leaf or the unavailability of nicotine extract necessary to manufacture our operating companies’ products could negatively impact our ability to continue marketing existing products or impact adult nicotine consumer product acceptability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and profitability. In addition, the nicotine used in our operating companies’ innovative smoke-free products is extracted from tobacco produced in one country. If we are unable to identify alternate sources of nicotine for our operating companies’ innovative products, we could be exposed to the risks discussed above.

Current geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions (including tariffs, inflation, labor shortages, supply and demand imbalances and international armed conflicts) are causing worldwide disruptions and delays to supply chains and commercial markets, which limit access to, and increase the cost of, raw materials, ingredients and component parts (for example, wood tips used in our cigar products and aluminum used in our packaging). As consumer demand increases for innovative smoke-free products and decreases for combustible and MST products, the volume of raw materials, ingredients and component parts required for the production of these products has decreased. Reduced demand for raw materials, ingredients and component parts may reduce supply and availability and increase the cost of raw materials, ingredients and component parts as suppliers divert resources to other products or cease producing these products. Furthermore, challenging economic conditions can create the risk that our suppliers, distributors, logistics providers or other third-party partners suffer financial or operational difficulties, which may impact their ability to provide us with or distribute

8

Table of Contents

finished product, raw materials and component parts and services in a timely manner or at all. If we are unable to identify alternate sources of raw materials, ingredients and component parts for our operating companies’ products, we could be exposed to supply risk.

In addition, government taxes, restrictions and prohibitions on the sale and use of certain products may limit access to, and increase the costs of, raw materials and component parts and, potentially, impede our ability to sell certain of our products. For example, certain states have passed extended producer responsibility legislation concerning packaging. Because certain of our operating companies’ products’ packaging consists of single-use plastics, single-use plastic bans and extended producer responsibility mandates could result in bans on some of our operating companies’ product packaging or their products and adversely impact our costs and revenues. Additional taxes and limitations on the use of certain single-use plastics have been proposed by the U.S. Congress and various state and local governments. These existing and potential future laws and regulations could increase the costs of sourcing, and impair our ability to source, certain materials used in the packaging for our products.

If our operating companies are unable to compensate for supply shortages or elevated commodity and other costs through sustained price increases, cost efficiencies, such as in manufacturing and distribution, or otherwise manage the exposure through sourcing strategies, the limited use of commodity hedging contracts or through other initiatives, our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be materially adversely impacted.

Our operating companies rely on a few significant facilities and a small number of key suppliers, distributors and distribution chain service providers, and an extended disruption at a facility or in service by a supplier, distributor or distribution chain service provider could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Our operating companies face risks inherent in reliance on a few significant manufacturing facilities and a small number of key suppliers, distributors and distribution chain service providers. A natural or man-made disaster, cybersecurity incident, global pandemic, labor disruption or other disruption that affects the manufacturing operations of any of our operating companies, the operations of any key supplier, distributor or distribution chain service provider of any of our operating companies or any other disruption in the supply or distribution of goods or services (including a key supplier’s inability to comply with government regulations, lack of available workers or unwillingness to supply goods or services to a tobacco company) could adversely impact operations. Operations of our operating companies, suppliers, distributors and distribution chain service providers could be suspended temporarily once or multiple times, or halted permanently, depending on various factors. An extended disruption in operations experienced by one or more of our operating companies or in the supply or distribution of goods or services by one or more key suppliers, distributors or distribution chain service providers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

We may be required to write down goodwill and other intangible assets, including trademarks and other intellectual property, due to impairment, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position.

We periodically calculate the fair value of our reporting units and intangible assets to test for impairment. These calculations may be affected by several factors, including general macroeconomic conditions, the proliferation of illicit products, government actions, including FDA regulatory actions and inaction, changes in category growth (decline) rates as a result of changing adult nicotine consumer preferences, success of planned new product expansions, competitive activity, unfavorable outcomes with respect to litigation proceedings, including actions brought against us alleging patent infringement, and income and excise taxes. Certain events also can trigger an immediate review of intangible assets.

In 2025, we recorded impairments of the values of the goodwill and other intangible assets within our e-vapor reporting unit as a result of the ITC exclusion order and cease-and-desist orders prohibiting the importation and sale of NJOY ACE into the United States and our expectation that effective enforcement against illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products would occur more gradually than initially anticipated. If we experience unfavorable outcomes with respect to litigation proceedings (including actions alleging patent infringement), the discount rate used to estimate the fair values of the goodwill and other intangible assets within our e-vapor reporting unit increases or any of the judgments or assumptions we made regarding the future state of the e-vapor category and NJOY’s business fail to materialize, we could record additional non-cash impairments of our e-vapor reporting unit goodwill in future periods. The judgments and assumptions we made regarding the future state of the e-vapor category and NJOY’s business include the (i) timing and extent of effective enforcement against illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products; (ii) timing and likelihood of regulatory authorizations of e-vapor products, including of NJOY’s products; (iii) timing of the commercialization of NJOY e-vapor products in the United States; (iv) long-term growth of the e-vapor category; and (v) conversion rates of illicit flavored disposable e-vapor consumers to FDA-authorized e-vapor products and, specifically, NJOY’s e-vapor products. Fair value calculations are sensitive to changes in these judgments and assumptions, some of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions and governmental actions outside of our control.

In the second quarter of 2024, we recorded an impairment of the value of the Skoal trademark. This impairment was the result of the decrease in the fair value of the Skoal trademark caused by decreases in the size of the MST products category, which were due, in part, to the growth of nicotine pouch volumes. If Skoal’s actual revenue and income or long-term outlook are significantly unfavorable compared to forecasted performance used to estimate the fair value or if the discount rate used to estimate the fair value increases, we could have an additional non-cash impairment of the carrying value of the Skoal trademark in future periods.

9

Table of Contents

We continue to monitor several factors that impact the fair value of our goodwill and intangible assets. If any impairment is determined to exist, we will incur impairment charges, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position.

Our Optimize & Accelerate initiative may expose us to increased risks relating to business continuity and our internal control over financial reporting and audit procedures, among others, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, cash flows, financial position or results of operations.

In October 2024, we announced the multi-phase Initiative, which is designed to enhance organizational speed, efficiency and effectiveness. The Initiative includes centralizing work, outsourcing certain transactional activities and streamlining, automating and standardizing processes across the enterprise. The Initiative presents a number of risks that could adversely impact our business, such as risks relating to operational continuity, talent management and internal control over financial reporting and audit procedures. For example, we may experience a loss of continuity, loss of accumulated knowledge and inefficiency during transitional periods. Furthermore, many of the outsourced tasks are or will be performed in developing countries that may be at a heightened risk for geopolitical uncertainty, which could result in service interruptions. The expected savings associated with the Initiative may be offset to some extent by business disruption during the implementation phase as well as investments in new processes and systems until the Initiative is fully implemented. The accelerated frequency and scale of new technology and systems deployment to support the Initiative may increase risks to our internal control framework, protection of sensitive data and regulatory compliance. Additionally, the Initiative may lead to a loss of control and oversight of outsourced functions, which could weaken our existing internal control over financial reporting and present audit challenges. If the vendors to whom we outsource certain tasks do not adhere to our financial controls and compliance processes and procedures, we could be at an increased risk for fraud and financial misstatements.

If actual results of the Initiative differ from our expectations with respect to the continuity and reliability of outsourced tasks, maintenance of internal control over financial reporting and audit procedures, we may experience an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial position.

Our operating companies could decide, or be required to, recall products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Our operating companies could decide, or laws or regulations could require them, to recall products due to the failure to meet quality standards or specifications, suspected or confirmed and deliberate or unintentional product contamination, or other product adulteration, misbranding or tampering. Similar issues may subject us to liability with respect to products our operating companies manufacture for third parties under contract manufacturing agreements. A product recall or a product liability or other claim (even if unsuccessful or without merit) could have negative economic consequences and also generate negative publicity about us and our operating companies’ products. In addition, if another company recalls or experiences negative publicity related to a product in a category in which one of our operating companies competes, adult nicotine consumers might reduce their overall consumption of products in the category. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

We face various risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, and such events, and the measures that international, federal, state and local governments, agencies, law enforcement and health authorities implement to address them, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

An epidemic, pandemic or other significant public health emergency, and the measures taken by governmental authorities to address it, could significantly disrupt our operating companies’ abilities to operate their businesses in the ordinary course. Furthermore, any associated economic consequences could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

If any public health emergency were to occur in the future, we could experience negative impacts. In addition, the specific characteristics of any future public health emergency and associated governmental responses could result in other negative impacts that we cannot foresee. Accordingly, any future emergence or resurgence of an epidemic, pandemic or other public health emergency could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

We may be unable to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce due to the decreasing social acceptance of tobacco usage, tobacco control actions and other factors, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our ability to achieve our Vision.

Our ability to implement our strategy of attracting and retaining a highly skilled workforce may be impaired by the decreasing social acceptance of tobacco usage, tobacco regulation and control actions and other factors. We compete for talent with the consumer products industry and other companies that may enjoy greater societal acceptance and fewer long-term challenges. As a result, we may be unable to attract and retain highly qualified talent, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our ability to achieve our Vision.

10

Table of Contents

Litigation, Legislative and Regulatory Risks

Unfavorable outcomes with respect to litigation proceedings or any governmental investigations could materially adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows or financial position and our ability to achieve our Vision.

Legal proceedings covering a wide range of matters are pending or threatened in various U.S. and foreign jurisdictions against us and our subsidiaries, including PM USA, as well as our and their respective indemnitees and indemnitors. Various types of claims may be raised in these proceedings, including product liability, unfair trade practices, antitrust, tax, contraband-related claims, intellectual property infringement, breach of contract, employment matters, environmental matters, claims alleging violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”), claims for contribution and claims of competitors, shareholders and distributors. Legislative action, such as changes to tort law, also may expand the types of claims and remedies available to plaintiffs.

Competitors and other third parties have brought and may in the future bring action against us, our subsidiaries and/or our suppliers alleging patent infringement. Such claims, regardless of merit, expose us to significant litigation costs and damages, importation bans with respect to products and product components manufactured abroad, divert management’s attention and compromise our operating companies’ abilities to commercialize and improve their products. This risk is especially pertinent to smoke-free products where technology is advancing rapidly, resulting in a high volume of patents in relevant technology spaces. In a patent lawsuit adjudicated before the ITC, the ITC imposed bans on the importation of NJOY ACE into the United States and our sale and marketing of NJOY ACE products previously imported into the United States. As a result of the ITC’s decision, NJOY removed NJOY ACE from the marketplace. We have appealed the ban on the importation into the United States and our sale and marketing of NJOY ACE, but the bans will remain in place during the pendency of the appeal. JUUL has filed similar actions in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and with the ITC alleging patent infringement based on our sale of NJOY Daily in the United States. If the bans with respect to NJOY ACE remain effective or we experience unfavorable outcomes with respect to the patent litigation relating to NJOY Daily, either outcome could have a material adverse effect on our valuation of our e-vapor reporting unit’s goodwill and our plans with respect to the e-vapor category.

In certain litigation, we and our subsidiaries may face potentially significant non-monetary remedies in addition to importation bans that could have a material adverse effect on our businesses. For example, in the Federal Government’s lawsuit alleging that certain defendants, including Altria and PM USA, violated RICO and engaged in certain “sub-schemes” to defraud, the district court did not impose monetary penalties but ordered significant non-monetary remedies, including the issuance of “corrective statements.”

Litigation is subject to significant uncertainty, and there could be adverse developments in pending or future cases. An unfavorable outcome or settlement of pending tobacco-related or other litigation could encourage the commencement of additional litigation. Damages claimed in some tobacco-related or other litigation are significant and, in certain cases, have ranged in the billions of dollars. The variability in pleadings in multiple jurisdictions and the actual experience of management in litigating claims demonstrate that the monetary relief that may be specified in a lawsuit bears little relevance to the ultimate outcome.

We have extensive experience litigating tobacco-related cases in a number of jurisdictions, with the vast majority of these cases having been filed in Florida. However, in recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of these cases filed against PM USA in jurisdictions outside of Florida. Managing complex litigation in multiple jurisdictions at an accelerated rate compounds the significant uncertainty as to the likelihood of adverse developments in pending or future cases.

In certain cases, plaintiffs claim that defendants’ liability is joint and several. In such cases, we may face the risk that one or more co-defendants decline or otherwise fail to participate in the bonding required for an appeal or to pay their proportionate or jury-allocated share of a judgment. As a result, we may have to pay more than our proportionate share of any bonding- or judgment-related amounts under certain circumstances. Furthermore, in cases where plaintiffs are successful, we also may be required to pay interest and attorneys’ fees.

Although we historically have been able to obtain required bonds or relief from bonding requirements in order to prevent plaintiffs from seeking to collect judgments while adverse verdicts have been appealed, there remains a risk that such relief may not be obtainable in all cases. This risk has been substantially reduced given that 47 states and Puerto Rico limit the dollar amount of bonds or require no bond at all. However, tobacco litigation plaintiffs have challenged the constitutionality of Florida’s bond cap statute in several cases and plaintiffs may challenge state bond cap statutes in other jurisdictions as well. Such challenges may include the applicability of state bond caps in federal court. Although we cannot predict the outcome of such challenges, it is possible that our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position could be materially adversely affected in a particular fiscal quarter or fiscal year by an unfavorable outcome of one or more such challenges.

Each of Altria and our subsidiaries named as a defendant in pending litigation believes, and each has been so advised by counsel handling the respective cases, that it has valid defenses to the litigation pending against it, as well as valid bases for appeal of adverse verdicts.

We have defended, and will continue to defend, vigorously against litigation challenges. However, we may enter into settlement discussions in particular cases if we believe it is in our best interests to do so.

11

Table of Contents

We cannot predict the outcome of any litigation proceedings or governmental investigations, and unfavorable outcomes in any such proceedings or investigations could materially adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Significant federal, state and local governmental actions, including FDA regulatory actions and inaction, and various private sector actions may continue to have a material adverse impact on our operating companies’ sales volumes and our business.

We face significant governmental and private sector actions, including efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of tobacco use and seeking to hold us responsible for the adverse health effects associated with both smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. These actions, combined with the diminishing social acceptance of smoking, have resulted in reduced cigarette industry volume, and we expect that these factors will continue to reduce cigarette consumption levels, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

We cannot predict whether regulators, including the FDA, will permit the marketing or sale of any particular innovative products (including products with claims of reduced risk to adult nicotine consumers) or whether they will impose a burdensome regulatory framework on such products. In addition, the FDA could, for a variety of reasons, determine that innovative products on the market but pending FDA review of the associated PMTA (such as on! oral nicotine pouches), or those that have previously received authorization are not appropriate for the public health, and the FDA could require such products be taken off the market. We also cannot predict whether or to what extent the FDA will take enforcement actions against manufacturers and products that violate the law.

The actions and inaction of regulators, including the FDA, can result in competitive challenges. For example, unpredictable and lengthy regulatory review periods complicate efforts to strategize and plan with respect to commercialization of new products, and we cannot predict or influence the speed with which the FDA reviews PMTAs. A protracted FDA review of one of our operating companies’ PMTAs would allow competitive products already on the market to establish market share, brand recognition and adult nicotine consumer loyalty in the absence of competition from our product. Additionally, we cannot control the order in which the FDA reviews PMTAs. The FDA could review a PMTA for a competitor’s product before it reviews a PMTA submitted by one of our operating companies with respect to a competing product notwithstanding that our operating company submitted its PMTA first. Scenarios such as these would put us at a competitive disadvantage, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, profitability and our ability to achieve our Vision.

In addition to the outcomes discussed above, actions and inaction by the FDA and other federal, state or local governments or agencies can (i) impact the adult nicotine consumer acceptability of or access to nicotine products (for example, through nicotine or constituent limits or menthol or other flavor bans), (ii) limit adult nicotine consumer choices, (iii) restrict communications to adult nicotine consumers, (iv) restrict the ability to differentiate nicotine products, (v) impose additional manufacturing, labeling or packaging requirements, (vi) interrupt manufacturing or otherwise significantly increase the cost of doing business, (vii) result in increased illicit trade in nicotine products, (viii) restrict or prevent the use of specified nicotine products in certain locations or the sale of nicotine products by certain retail establishments, (ix) require the recall of nicotine products due to a determination relating to product contamination or (x) otherwise require the removal of nicotine products from the marketplace (for example, due to a determination that one or more nicotine products fail to satisfy the statutory requirements for substantial equivalence, must proceed through the pre-market review process or must be removed from the marketplace for the protection of public health).

Any federal, state or local governmental action, including regulatory actions and inaction by the FDA, may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position. Such action and inaction also could negatively impact adult smokers’ transition to potentially reduced risk products, which could materially adversely affect our ability to achieve our Vision.

Nicotine products are subject to substantial taxation, and any increases in nicotine product-related taxes could have a material adverse impact on sales of our operating companies’ products.

Nicotine products are subject to substantial taxation, including excise taxes. Significant increases in taxes or fees on nicotine products (including traditional tobacco products as well as e-vapor and oral nicotine products) have been proposed or enacted and are likely to continue to be proposed or enacted within the United States at the federal, state and local levels. The frequency and magnitude of excise tax increases can be influenced by various factors, including federal and state budgets and the composition of executive and legislative bodies. Tax increases are expected to continue to have an adverse impact on sales of our operating companies’ products through lower consumption levels and the potential shift in adult nicotine consumer purchases from the premium to the non-premium or discount segments, to other low-priced or low-taxed products or to counterfeit and contraband products. Such shifts may also have an adverse impact on the reported share performance of our operating companies’ products. Any increases in taxes or fees applicable to our operating companies’ products could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position. In addition, substantial excise tax increases on e-vapor and oral nicotine products could negatively impact adult smokers’ transition to these products, which could materially adversely affect our ability to achieve our Vision.

International business operations subject us to various U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, and violations of such laws or regulations could result in reputational harm, legal challenges and significant penalties and other costs.

While we are primarily engaged in business activities in the United States, we engage (directly or indirectly) in certain international business activities that are subject to various U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, such as foreign privacy laws, the U.S. Foreign

12

Table of Contents

Corrupt Practices Act and other laws prohibiting bribery and corruption.Although we have a Code of Conduct for Compliance and Integrity and a compliance system designed to prevent and detect violations of applicable law, we can provide no assurance that any system will always protect against improper actions by employees, joint venture partners, investees or third parties.Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations could result in reputational harm, legal challenges and significant penalties and other costs.

A challenge to our tax positions, an increase in the income tax rate or other changes to federal or state tax laws could materially adversely affect our earnings or cash flows.

Tax laws and regulations are complex and subject to varying interpretations. Changes to federal or state tax laws or challenges to one or more of our positions with respect to those laws, including with respect to the availability of duty drawback, which allows manufacturers to receive refunds of certain duties, taxes and fees paid on imported tobacco products when offsetting volumes of those products or substantially similar products are subsequently exported, could give rise to additional liabilities (including interest and potential penalties) or reduce the amount of duties, taxes and fees paid by our operating companies for which refunds are available. Accordingly, a successful challenge to one or more of our tax positions, an increase in the corporate income tax rate or other changes to federal or state tax laws, including changes to how foreign investments are taxed, could materially adversely affect our earnings or cash flows.

Legal and regulatory requirements related to climate change and other environmental sustainability matters could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Concern over climate change and other sustainability matters is likely to result in new or additional legal and regulatory requirements intended to reduce or mitigate environmental issues.Furthermore, as our operating companies do business in new international markets and expand their product portfolios, we may become subject to new legal and regulatory requirements related to climate change and other environmental and corporate sustainability matters.New or additional requirements may relate to, among other things, greenhouse gas emissions, alternative energy policy, single-use plastics, the disposal of nicotine products or nicotine product components and additional disclosure obligations with respect to climate change and environmental sustainability matters. These additional laws and regulations could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition by increasing our compliance and manufacturing costs and creating legal and reputational risk if we are unable to, or are perceived not to, satisfy such requirements.

Capital Markets and Financing Risks

Disruption and uncertainty in the credit and capital markets could materially adversely affect our business.

Access to the credit and capital markets is important for us to satisfy our liquidity and financing needs. We typically access the commercial paper market in the second quarter to help fund payments under the Master Settlement Agreement (“MSA”), tax obligations and shareholder dividends. Disruption and uncertainty in the credit or capital markets or high interest rates could negatively impact the availability or cost of capital and adversely affect our liquidity, cash flow, earnings and dividend rate. In addition, tighter credit markets could lead to business disruptions for our suppliers and service providers, which could, in turn, materially adversely impact our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

A downgrade or potential downgrade of our credit ratings could adversely impact our borrowing costs and access to credit and capital markets, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition.

Rating agencies routinely evaluate us, and their ratings are based on a number of factors, including our cash generating capability, levels of indebtedness, policies with respect to shareholder distributions, the impact of strategic transactions and our financial strength generally, as well as factors beyond our control, such as the state of the economy and our industry. Any downgrade or announcement that we are under review for a potential downgrade of our credit ratings, as occurred following our former investment in JUUL, especially any downgrade to below investment grade, could increase our future borrowing costs, impair our ability to access the credit and capital markets, including the commercial paper market, on terms commercially acceptable to us or at all or result in a reduction in our liquidity, requiring us to rely on more expensive types of financing. Any such outcome could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition.

Our performance relating to corporate responsibility matters and investor and stakeholder responses thereto may impact our reputation, ability to attract investors and the market value of our stock.

Focus from investors and other stakeholders on corporate responsibility, including with respect to environmental, social and governance matters, has resulted in investor demand for measurement of corporate responsibility performance. The criteria by which third-party providers of assessments and ratings measure such performance may vary or change over time. Furthermore we have published reports concerning our goals, approach and progress with respect to a range of corporate responsibility focus areas. Investors may use these non-financial performance factors and reports to guide investment strategies, and investor and other stakeholder expectations of and responses to our policies, actions, goals and disclosures concerning corporate responsibility matters may evolve over time. Investors may choose not to invest in us if their policies prevent them from investing in tobacco companies and may base investment and other decisions on their view of our policies, actions, goals or disclosures with respect to corporate responsibility matters.

13

Table of Contents

Despite our efforts, any failure to achieve our corporate responsibility goals, including those aimed at reducing the harm associated with our operating companies’ products and our underage tobacco prevention goals, could result in adverse publicity.Furthermore, if investors or other stakeholders view our corporate responsibility policies, actions, goals or disclosures as insufficient or otherwise unacceptable, we could incur negative publicity and litigation challenges. These outcomes could materially adversely affect our businesses and reputation and impair our ability to attract and retain investors, which could have a material negative impact on the market value of our stock.

Information Technology and Data Privacy Risks

The failure of our, or our service providers’, key suppliers’ or trade customers’, information systems to function as intended, or cyber-attacks or security breaches, could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

We rely extensively on information technology, much of which is managed by third-party service providers (such as cloud data service providers), to support a variety of business processes and activities, including: complying with regulatory, legal, financial reporting and tax requirements; engaging in marketing and e-commerce activities; managing and improving the effectiveness of our operations; researching, developing, manufacturing and distributing our operating companies’ products; collecting and storing sensitive data and confidential information; and communicating with employees, investors, suppliers, trade customers, adult nicotine consumers and others. Our suppliers, supply chain service providers and trade customers also rely extensively on information systems. We also have increased the frequency and scale of new technology and systems deployment both directly and through third parties.

We continue to make appropriate investments in administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect our information systems and data from cyber-threats, including human error and malicious acts. Our safeguards include employee training, testing and auditing protocols, backup systems and business continuity plans, maintenance of security policies and procedures, monitoring of networks and systems, and third-party risk management. We can provide no guarantee that any investments or safeguards will protect our information systems and data from all threats.

From time-to-time, we and our service providers, suppliers and trade customers experience attempts to infiltrate and interrupt information systems. We have not experienced an information security breach within the past three years, and to date, we have not experienced any interruptions of information systems as a result of infiltration attempts. However, because technology is increasingly complex and cyber-attacks are increasingly sophisticated and more frequent, there can be no assurance that such incidents will not cause interruptions that could have a material adverse effect on us in the future. For example, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our and our service providers’, key suppliers’ and trade customers’ cybersecurity risks. Bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information and intellectual property. Any of these outcomes could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information and adversely impact our business.

Outsourcing certain business functions pursuant to the Initiative may increase our exposure to risks such as data breaches, which could compromise sensitive information. Implementation of new technology and systems deployment may increase our risk of data security incidents, internal control failures and regulatory noncompliance. Our vendors and third-party partners may incorporate artificial intelligence tools into their offerings with or without disclosing this use to us. The providers of these artificial intelligence tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards concerning privacy and data protection, which may result in a loss of intellectual property or confidential information or cause harm to our reputation and the public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures. Failure of our, or our service providers’, key suppliers’ or trade customers’, information systems to function as intended, or cyber-attacks or security breaches, could result in loss of revenue, assets, personal data, intellectual property, trade secrets or other sensitive and confidential data, financial misstatements, violation of applicable privacy and data security laws, reputational harm to our operating companies and their brands, operational disruptions, legal challenges and significant remediation and other costs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Our failure, or the failure of our service providers, key suppliers or trade customers, to comply with personal data protection, privacy, artificial intelligence and information security laws could materially adversely affect our business.

We and our service providers, key suppliers and trade customers are subject to a variety of continuously evolving and developing laws and regulations in numerous jurisdictions regarding personal data protection, privacy, artificial intelligence and information security.

These laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied differently from country to country or, within the United States, from state to state, and can create inconsistent or conflicting requirements. For example, as our business expands internationally and we outsource certain business functions to vendors in foreign jurisdictions as part of the Initiative, we may incur additional costs associated with compliance with foreign data protection laws and incur additional risk of non-compliance with such laws. Privacy laws and regulations are also expanding in the United States. Comprehensive state privacy laws are either in effect or have been enacted in a number of states, and similar laws are being considered in several other states, as well as at the federal and local levels. Our efforts, and the efforts of our service providers, key suppliers and trade customers, to comply with the evolving patchwork of differing foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations impose significant costs and challenges that are likely to continue to increase over time, particularly as

14

Table of Contents

additional jurisdictions adopt similar regulations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations or to otherwise protect personal data from unauthorized access, use or other processing, could result in litigation, claims, regulatory proceedings, inquiries or investigations, damage to our reputation, fines, penalties and business disruptions, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Risks Relating to Our Investments in Equity Securities

The expected benefits of our investment in ABI may not materialize in the expected manner or timeframe or at all, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial position or earnings.

The expected benefits of our investment in ABI may not materialize in the expected manner or timeframe or at all, including due to foreign currency exchange rates; ABI’s business results; ABI’s share price; impairment losses on the value of our investment; our incurrence of additional tax liabilities related to our investment in ABI; and potential reductions in the number of directors that we can have appointed to the ABI board of directors.

We account for our investment in ABI under the equity method of accounting. For purposes of financial reporting, the earnings from and carrying value of our investment in ABI are translated into U.S. dollars (“USD”) from various local currencies. In addition, ABI pays dividends in euros, which we convert into USD. During times of a strengthening USD against these currencies, our reported earnings from and carrying value of our investment in ABI will be reduced because these currencies will translate into fewer USD and the dividends that we receive from ABI will convert into fewer USD. Dividends and earnings from and carrying value of our investment in ABI are also subject to the risks encountered by ABI in its business, its business outlook, cash flow requirements and financial performance, the state of the market and the general economic climate. For example, in 2020, as a result of the uncertainty, volatility and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ABI’s business, ABI reduced by 50% its final 2019 dividend paid in the second quarter of 2020 and did not pay its interim 2020 dividend that would have been paid in the fourth quarter of 2020, which resulted in a reduction of cash dividends we received from ABI.

We assess the value of our investment in ABI as required by United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). If the carrying value of our investment in ABI exceeds its fair value and we determine that the loss in value is other than temporary, we record appropriate impairment losses. In a prior period, we concluded that the fair value of our investment in ABI declined below the carrying value of our investment in ABI and that this decline in fair value was other than temporary. As a result, we recorded a non-cash, pre-tax impairment charge for that period. It is possible that we may be required to record significant impairment charges in the future and, if we do so, our net earnings and carrying value of our investment in ABI could be materially adversely affected.

In the event that our ownership percentage in ABI were to decrease below certain levels, (i) we may be subject to additional tax liabilities, (ii) the number of nominees that we have the right to select for election to the ABI board of directors could be reduced and (iii) we may be unable to continue to account for our investment in ABI under the equity method of accounting.

Our investment in Cronos subjects us to certain risks associated with Cronos’s business, including legal, regulatory and reputational risks.

Our investment in Cronos, a Canadian cannabinoid company, subjects us to various risks relating to Cronos’s business, such as legal, regulatory and reputational risks. Cronos is engaged in the cultivation, manufacture and marketing of cannabis and cannabis-derived products for the medical and adult-use markets in various international jurisdictions. Accordingly, Cronos’s operations are subject to laws, regulations and guidelines promulgated by various governmental authorities. In the United States, these laws include the Controlled Substances Act, the Civil Assets Forfeiture Reform Act (as it relates to violation of the Controlled Substances Act), all related applicable anti-money laundering laws and FDA regulations. A failure by Cronos or Altria to comply with applicable laws, including cannabis laws, could result in criminal, civil or tax liability, negative impacts on the availability and cost of capital and credit or reputational harm for Altria.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

Risk Management and Strategy

We rely extensively on information technology, much of which is managed by third-party service providers (such as cloud data service providers), to support a variety of business processes and activities, including: complying with regulatory, legal, financial reporting and tax requirements; engaging in marketing and e-commerce activities; managing and improving the effectiveness of our operations; researching, developing, manufacturing and distributing our operating companies’ products; collecting and storing sensitive data and confidential information; and communicating with employees, investors, suppliers, trade customers, adult nicotine consumers and others. Recognizing the critical importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital landscape, we are committed to safeguarding our information

15

Table of Contents

assets, protecting consumer data and maintaining the integrity and availability of our systems. Accordingly, we have implemented an extensive cybersecurity risk management framework designed to identify, assess, mitigate and prevent potential cybersecurity risks and to align with industry best practices and all applicable regulatory requirements. We leverage the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Cybersecurity Framework and industry best practices to identify and prioritize cybersecurity risks based on their potential impacts. We also use the NIST framework and industry best practices to drive enhancements to our program that are designed to protect our assets and third-party partners. The NIST framework also helps us maintain ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements. We align our security standards for infrastructure configuration with the Center for Internet Security’s Benchmarks, which are prescriptive recommendations based upon the consensus of global cybersecurity experts.

Our framework is built around the following key principles: (i) risk assessment and threat intelligence; (ii) security controls; (iii) incident response; (iv) employee awareness and training; and (v) third-party risk management. We have integrated our cybersecurity framework into our broad enterprise risk management processes, which allows us to leverage our existing enterprise-wide experience in managing risk and adapting to change in the cybersecurity threat landscape.

▪Risk Assessment and Threat Intelligence: We conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and threats. Our Information Technology (“IT”) Risk Management function, overseen by our Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”), leads internal self-assessments, which involve evaluating the security posture of critical systems, networks and applications as well as the potential impact of cybersecurity threats on our business operations, financial condition and reputation. IT Risk Management also conducts ongoing threat monitoring and has implemented monitoring systems, including technologies such as intrusion detection systems, security information and event management tools and threat intelligence programs.

We regularly engage third-party consulting services to conduct audits and assessments of the effectiveness of our cybersecurity controls and processes and identify areas for improvement based on developments in industry best practices. We typically engage these services annually, though the cadence can differ based on the results of the audits and assessments. We also leverage third parties to evaluate our cybersecurity and risk management strategy, review policies and procedures to address new risks and maintain ongoing compliance with evolving legal and regulatory requirements. For example, we partner with leading global security providers to leverage various threat intelligence channels as input to monitor and tune our cybersecurity controls.

▪Security Controls: We employ a layered approach to cybersecurity, implementing a range of technical and procedural controls designed to protect critical systems and data. These controls include (i) firewalls and intrusion detection and prevention systems to monitor and block unauthorized access attempts, detect and deter malicious activity and safeguard network infrastructure, (ii) encryption, including secure protocols and multi-factor authentication, to protect information in transit and at rest and (iii) secure network architecture that segregates critical systems from the public internet, limiting exposure to potential threats. We also conduct regular security patching to manage emerging cyber threats.

▪Incident Response: We have established an incident response plan and playbooks, which include procedures designed to respond to and recover from cybersecurity incidents. These procedures, which our IT Risk Management function reviews on an ongoing basis both internally and with third-party consultants, provide detailed descriptions of the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders and the procedures for communication and coordination during an incident. The procedures also provide guidelines for escalating information to senior management, our Disclosure Controls Committee, our Audit Committee, which, as discussed below, has been delegated cybersecurity program oversight responsibility, and our full Board and for providing timely public disclosure, when necessary.

To maintain incident readiness, business continuity and IT resilience, we conduct periodic disaster recovery exercises and cybersecurity incident management exercises led by our IT Risk Management function. These exercises involve simulating various scenarios and testing our response strategies, allowing us to identify vulnerabilities, refine procedures and enhance our overall crisis management and recovery capabilities. We believe regular practice and evaluation allows us to minimize the impact of potential disruptions and safeguard our operations, data and reputation.

▪Employee Awareness and Training: We recognize that employees play a critical role in maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture. Our Information Governance Policy sets forth the requirements for employee conduct relating to company information and company-managed devices, including relevant privacy, data security and data retention policies. We believe that our Information Governance Policy is aligned with industry best practices and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. In addition to our Information Governance Policy, we conduct cybersecurity training programs emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity awareness at least annually and more frequently as necessary or advisable. These programs address relevant cybersecurity topics, such as common cybersecurity threats, phishing awareness and best practices for safeguarding sensitive information. Employees are held accountable for completing all assigned cybersecurity programs and meeting certain performance thresholds in phishing awareness exercises, and there is a range of consequences for underperformance that includes termination.

▪Third-Party Risk Management:We acknowledge the potential cybersecurity risks inherent in our relationships with third-parties. Accordingly, we have implemented a third-party risk management program to identify and oversee such risks. This program relies on key elements including risk assessment, due diligence, contractual provisions and ongoing monitoring to identify and mitigate impacts from high-risk third-parties and of specific risks. We use security risk assessment questionnaire tools to identify high-risk third-parties, which we believe allows us to effectively assess and mitigate potential security vulnerabilities.

16

Table of Contents

Our third-party risk assessment framework evaluates the cybersecurity practices and controls of third-parties. For high-risk third-parties, we perform due diligence inquiries, reviewing documentation with respect to their security policies, incident response capabilities, data protection measures and regulatory compliance. We also review evidence of cybersecurity certifications and the results of independent audits. For high-risk third-parties with access to sensitive data or systems, we conduct more in-depth assessments. Our contracts with high-risk third-parties contain provisions related to data protection, confidentiality, incident reporting and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Throughout our engagements with high-risk third-parties, we maintain a monitoring program with respect to their cybersecurity posture. Leveraging tools such as security questionnaires, security ratings and external threat intelligence, we regularly review and update third-party risk assessments based on changes in the third-party’s services or practices and the risk landscape.

Governance

Our Board devotes significant time and attention to our cybersecurity and information technology risks. Our Board executes its cybersecurity risk oversight as a whole and by delegating responsibility to our Audit Committee.Our CISO and Chief Information Officer present to our Board annually and to our Audit Committee at least twice each year on a broad range of topics, such as recent and potential cybersecurity threats and incidents across our industry, best practices and policies, emerging trends, vulnerability assessments and management’s ongoing efforts to prevent, detect and address internal and external cybersecurity threats specific to us. These briefings also include reporting on periodic third-party cybersecurity program assessments and benchmarks and updates from our cybersecurity incident management exercises. Cybersecurity risks are documented in an IT Risk Dashboard, which is shared with our Audit Committee for awareness several times each year. Our full Board also has access to these materials. Finally, we provide periodic cybersecurity training to our Audit Committee and Board to further cybersecurity awareness and risk oversight.

While our Board and Audit Committee oversee cybersecurity risk, senior management is responsible for actively managing cybersecurity risk, including by overseeing and executing the risk management strategies discussed above. Our Risk Oversight Committee, which is chaired by our Chief Compliance Officer and comprised of members of senior management, including our Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer and General Counsel, oversees the management of key enterprise risks, including cybersecurity risks. Senior management reports annually to the Board with respect to our overall enterprise risk management processes. Our CISO presents to the Risk Oversight Committee quarterly to review the status of management’s key cybersecurity risk management strategies. The Risk Oversight Committee also receives the quarterly IT Risk Dashboard.

Our CISO, who reports directly to our Vice President, Enterprise Technology and Chief Information Officer, is responsible for assessing and managing cybersecurity risks and maintaining our cybersecurity program. Our CISO has over 25 years of experience, including six years as our CISO, managing technology risks across multiple industries, including financial services, technology and manufacturing. Through strategic hiring and internal development, our CISO enhances the levels of skill and experience on our IT Risk Management team to stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity threats. As of the date of this filing, 100% of our IT Risk Management team has technical industry certification, and members of the IT Risk Management team have an average of 15 years of cybersecurity experience. Our CISO currently serves as an advisor to multiple industry groups. Our cybersecurity program undergoes an annual third-party controls effectiveness assessment and bi-annual program maturity evaluation against industry peers and consistently receives assessments indicating that it is ahead of the cybersecurity programs of our peer group.

As of the date of this filing, we are not aware of any current cybersecurity threats or cybersecurity incidents that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. From time-to-time, we and our third-party service providers, suppliers and trade customers experience attempts to infiltrate and interrupt information systems. We have not experienced an information security breach within the past three years, and to date, we have not experienced any interruptions of information systems as a result of infiltration attempts.For further discussion of the risks related to cybersecurity, see Risks Relating to Our Business - Information Technology and Data Privacy Risks in Item 1A.

Item 2. Properties.

ALCS owns one property in Richmond, Virginia that serves as the headquarters facilities for Altria, PM USA, USSTC, Middleton, Helix, NJOY and certain other subsidiaries.

PM USA owns and operates a manufacturing facility located in Richmond, Virginia that PM USA uses in the manufacturing of cigarettes (smokeable products segment). PM USA leases portions of this facility to our other subsidiaries for use in the manufacturing of cigars (smokeable products segment) and oral nicotine pouches (oral tobacco products segment). In addition, PM USA owns a research and technology center in Richmond, Virginia that it leases to ALCS.

The oral tobacco products segment has various manufacturing and processing facilities, the most significant of which are located in Nashville, Tennessee and Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

The plants and properties owned or leased and operated by us are maintained in good condition and are believed to be suitable and adequate for present needs.

17

Table of Contents

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

The information required by this Item is included in Note 18 and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 to this Form 10-K. Altria’s consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes for the year ended December 31, 2025 were filed on Form 8-K on January 29, 2026 (such consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are also included in Item 8). The following summarizes certain developments in Altria’s litigation since the filing of the Form 8-K.

Recent Developments

▪Health Care Cost Recovery Litigation

Continuing NPM Adjustment Disputes with States That Have Not Settled. In February 2026, an arbitration panel found that Missouri was not diligent in the enforcement of its escrow statutes in 2005.

▪Antitrust Litigation

In February 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California certified three classes of plaintiffs (one of direct purchasers, one of indirect purchasers and one of indirect resellers).

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

18

Table of Contents

Part II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Performance Graph

The graph below compares the cumulative total shareholder return of our common stock for the last five years with the cumulative total return for the same period of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry Group Total Return Index. The graph assumes the investment of $100 in common stock and each of the indices as of the market close on December 31, 2020 and the reinvestment of all dividends on a quarterly basis.

Date Altria S&P Food, Beverage & Tobacco S&P 500

Source: FactSet - Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends as of the ex-dividend date.

Market and Dividend Information

The principal stock exchange on which our common stock (par value $0.33 1/3 per share) is listed is the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “MO”. At February 13, 2026, there were approximately 44,000 holders of record of our common stock.

We have a history of paying cash dividends, and have a progressive dividend goal targeting mid-single digits dividend per share growth annually through 2028. Future dividend payments remain subject to the discretion of our Board.

19

Table of Contents

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities During the Quarter Ended December 31, 2025

In January 2025, our Board authorized a $1.0 billion share repurchase program. In October 2025, the Board authorized a $1.0 billion expansion of this program to $2.0 billion, which expires on December 31, 2026 (as expanded, “January 2025 share repurchase program”). Share repurchases depend upon marketplace conditions and other factors, and the program remains subject to the discretion of our Board.

Our share repurchase activity for each of the three months in the period ended December 31, 2025, was as follows:

(1) The total number of shares purchased includes (a) shares purchased under the January 2025 share repurchase program and (b) shares withheld by Altria in an amount equal to the statutory withholding taxes for vested stock-based awards previously granted to eligible employees (which totaled 395 in November and 1,087 in December).

Item 6. [Reserved].

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the other sections of this Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in Item 8, and the discussion of risk factors that may affect future results in Item 1A. All references to “Notes” in this MD&A are to Notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8. Additionally, refer to Item 7. MD&A in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K for management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, which we filed with the SEC on February 26, 2025 and is incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.

In this MD&A section, we refer to the following “adjusted” financial measures: adjusted operating companies income (loss) (“OCI”); adjusted OCI margins; adjusted net earnings; adjusted diluted earnings per share (“EPS”); and adjusted effective tax rates. We also refer to the ratio of debt-to-Consolidated EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as defined in our credit agreement, which includes certain adjustments). These financial measures are not required by, or calculated in accordance with, GAAP and may not be calculated the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies. These financial measures should thus be considered as supplemental in nature and not considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. For a further description of these non-GAAP financial measures, see the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section below.

Executive Summary

Our Business

We have a leading portfolio of tobacco products for U.S. tobacco consumers age 21+. We are Moving Beyond SmokingTM, by responsibly transitioning adult smokers to a smoke-free future, competing vigorously for existing smoke-free adult nicotine consumers and exploring new growth opportunities - beyond the United States and beyond nicotine.

Our wholly owned subsidiaries include leading manufacturers of both combustible and smoke-free products. In combustibles, we own PM USA, the most profitable U.S. cigarette manufacturer, and Middleton, a leading U.S. cigar manufacturer.

In smoke-free products, we own USSTC, the leading global MST manufacturer, Helix, a leading manufacturer of oral nicotine pouches, and NJOY, an e-vapor manufacturer with products covered by MGOs from the FDA. Additionally, we have a majority-owned joint venture, Horizon, for the U.S. marketing and commercialization of HTS products.

The brand portfolios of our operating companies include Marlboro, Black & Mild, Copenhagen, Skoal, on! and NJOY. Trademarks related to Altria referenced in this Form 10-K are the property of Altria or our subsidiaries or are used with permission.

Our investments in equity securities include ABI, the world’s largest brewer, and Cronos, a leading Canadian cannabinoid company.

For a description of Altria, see Item 1. Business of this Form 10-K (“Item 1”).

20

Table of Contents

Vision and 2028 Goals

As we execute on our Vision, we established our 2028 Enterprise Goals (“2028 Goals”) to provide our investors with specific metrics to measure our progress. Our 2028 Goals are:

▪Corporate

▪Deliver a mid-single digits adjusted diluted EPS compounded annual growth rate (“CAGR”) in 2028 from a $4.87 base in 2022, which has been recast as described in Non-GAAP Financial Measures below (for our progress through 2025, see Consolidated Results of Operations);

▪A progressive dividend goal targeting mid-single digits dividend per share growth annually through 2028;

▪Target a debt-to-Consolidated EBITDA ratio of approximately 2.0x (see Liquidity and Capital Resources);

▪Maintain our leadership position in the U.S. tobacco space; and

▪Maintain a total adjusted OCI margin of at least 60% in each year through 2028 (see Operating Results by Business Segment).

▪U.S. Smoke-Free Portfolio

▪Due to ongoing market disruption caused by illicit e-vapor products that have evaded the regulatory process, we continue to reassess our smoke-free goals and expect to provide updated goals when we have more clarity on how the legitimate e-vapor market may evolve. We remain steadfast in our commitment to our Vision and to building a portfolio of FDA-authorized smoke-free products for adult smokers and adult nicotine consumers currently using smoke-free products. For additional information on the e-vapor category, see Operating Results by Business Segment - Business Environment.

▪Long-Term Growth

▪Compete internationally in the top innovative oral tobacco markets and develop a pathway to participate in heated tobacco and e-vapor markets; and

▪Enter non-nicotine categories with broad commercial distribution of at least five products by 2028.

Optimize & AccelerateInitiative

In October 2024, we announced a multi-phase Initiative designed to modernize our ways of working as we work towards achieving our Vision and 2028 Goals. In 2025, we began modernizing our ways of working, which enabled increased speed, efficiency and effectiveness across the organization. We are now adding the final phases of the Initiative and continue to expect to deliver cumulative savings of at least $600 million by the end of 2029. We continue to plan to reinvest these savings in our businesses in support of our Vision and 2028 Goals. These cumulative cost savings exclude our estimated pre-tax charges for the Initiative of approximately $175 million, updated from our prior estimate of approximately $125 million, as a result of finalizing the plans for all phases of the Initiative, which we treat as special items and exclude from our adjusted diluted EPS. For further discussion of the Initiative, see Note 5. Exit and Implementation Costs (“Note 5”).

Trends and Developments

In this section of the MD&A, we discuss certain factors that have impacted our businesses as of the date of this Form 10-K. In addition, we are aware of and address certain trends and developments that could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material impact on our businesses, including the value of our investments in equity securities, in the future. In this section, we focus on the discretionary income pressures on adult nicotine consumers, tariffs, evolving consumer preferences and illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products. Other trends and developments are discussed elsewhere in this MD&A.

Throughout 2025, U.S. adult nicotine consumers faced persistent inflationary pressures on discretionary income, with lower-income consumers particularly affected. Inflation remained above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, and elevated prices for essentials such as groceries and housing continued to constrain spending, prompting many low-income earners to cut back and rely more heavily on credit. Gas prices trended downward as expected, with the most notable improvement seen in December when the average price fell to $2.89 per gallon, bringing the average in the fourth quarter of 2025 to approximately $3.00 per gallon. Meanwhile, tariffs introduced earlier in the year steadily increased over recent months, weighing on consumer confidence and adding headwinds to discretionary spending. While we have not observed a material impact on adult nicotine consumer purchasing behavior as a result of tariffs, we continue to closely monitor the additional pressure that tariff-related price increases may exert. In addition, we are monitoring other effects of tariffs on our businesses, including the price, availability and quality of tobacco, raw materials, ingredients and component parts used to manufacture our operating companies’ products. We do not expect tariffs to have a material impact on our costs in 2026 based on presently available information.

Overall discretionary income pressures on adult nicotine consumers have resulted in increased discount brand share performance and continued to contribute to evolving adult nicotine consumer preferences, each of which has negatively impacted the sales volumes of our operating companies’ premium brands. For the fourth quarter of 2025, the discount retail share of the cigarette category reached 32.9%, an increase of 2.6 share points versus the fourth quarter of 2024 and 0.7 share points sequentially. Additionally, we believe that a significant number of adult nicotine consumers switch among tobacco categories, use multiple forms of tobacco products and try

21

Table of Contents

innovative nicotine products, such as e-vapor products and oral nicotine pouches. The U.S. nicotine pouch category continued to grow throughout the fourth quarter of 2025 to 56.9% of the U.S. oral tobacco category, an increase of 10.4 share points versus the fourth quarter of 2024. When adjusted for trade inventory movements, smokeable products segment’s domestic cigarette shipment volume declined by an estimated 7% in the fourth quarter of 2025 versus the fourth quarter of 2024. We estimate that, when adjusted for trade inventory movements and other factors, total estimated domestic cigarette industry volume declined by 6.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025 versus the fourth quarter of 2024. In the third quarter of 2025, we estimated the industry decline rate to be 8% versus the third quarter of 2024. We believe that the 1.5 percentage points reduction in the domestic cigarette industry volume decline rate in the current quarter was primarily due to illicit flavored disposable e-vapor product growth moderating slightly in 2025 as compared to the prior year. We have closely monitored this trend and its impact on cigarette industry decline rates. Based on our latest data, we are updating our cigarette category volume decomposition. We now estimate that cross-category movement, primarily driven by illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products, contributed approximately 2% to 3% to the cigarette industry volume decline during 2025 versus our prior estimate of approximately 3% to 4%. As innovative smoke-free products evolve to better address the preferences of adult nicotine consumers, these consumers continue to transition from cigarettes and MST products to innovative smoke-free products, which has negatively impacted the sales volumes of our operating companies’ cigarette and MST products.

Product assortment, regulation and enforcement continue to evolve in the e-vapor category. Flavored disposable e-vapor products have continued driving growth in the e-vapor category. We estimate that flavored disposable e-vapor products, the majority of which we believe have evaded the regulatory process, represent approximately 70% of the e-vapor category. In response to the proliferation of illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products, states and the federal government have taken various regulatory and enforcement actions. For example, the FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have made it more difficult to import properly declared illicit e-vapor products, seized unauthorized e-vapor products and issued warning letters to importers. However, although the FDA, in conjunction with other federal entities, has increased enforcement activity, insufficient actions against manufacturers, distributors and retailers of nicotine products requiring FDA review for which no PMTAs have been submitted have allowed such products to continue to proliferate in the market. We expect that effective enforcement against illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products will occur more gradually than initially anticipated. As a result, in connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, we recorded non-cash impairments of our e-vapor reporting unit goodwill and definite-lived intangible assets. For further discussion, see Note 4. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, net. (“Note 4”).

Additionally, we continue to see increased illicit activity across multiple nicotine categories, including nicotine pouch products and cigarettes. Throughout 2024 and 2025, traditional tobacco retailers began to carry various synthetic oral nicotine pouch products. We continue to track the overall dynamics across multiple nicotine categories as well as competitive threats to our brands.

See Operating Results by Business Segment - Business Environment for additional information on the trends and developments discussed above.

With the exception of the impact of illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products on NJOY, the trends and developments above have not had a material adverse impact on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position. We do not believe the trends and developments discussed above have materially impacted our ability to achieve our Vision. As the trends and developments evolve and new ones emerge, we will continue to evaluate the potential impacts on our businesses, investments and Vision.

22

Table of Contents

Consolidated Results of Operations

The changes in net earnings and diluted EPS for the year ended December 31, 2025, from the year ended December 31, 2024, were due primarily to the following:

(in millions, except per share data) Net Earnings Diluted EPS

2024 Acquisition and disposition-related items (1,862) (1.08)

2024 Asset impairment, exit and implementation costs 315 0.18

2024 Tobacco and health and certain other litigation items 76 0.04

2024 ABI-related special items 2 —

2025 Acquisition and disposition-related items (66) (0.04)

2025 Asset impairment, exit and implementation costs (1,921) (1.14)

2025 Tobacco and health and certain other litigation items (44) (0.03)

2025 Cronos-related special items 5 —

2025 Income tax items (5) —

Fewer shares outstanding — 0.11

2025 Adjusted Net Earnings and Adjusted Diluted EPS $ 9,148 $ 5.42

2024 Adjusted Net Earnings and Adjusted Diluted EPS $ 8,936 $ 5.19

(1) Prior period amounts have been recast to conform with current period presentation for amortization of intangibles that were not previously identified as special items and that are now excluded from our adjusted financial measures. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures below.

For a discussion of special items and other business drivers affecting the comparability of statements of earnings amounts and reconciliations of adjusted earnings and adjusted diluted EPS, see Consolidated Operating Results below.

▪Fewer Shares Outstanding: Fewer shares outstanding were due to shares we repurchased under our share repurchase programs.

▪Change in Tax Rate: The change in the tax rate (which excludes the impact of special items shown in the table above) was driven primarily by lower state tax expense.

▪Operations: The increase of $93 million in operations (which excludes the impact of special items shown in the table above) was due primarily to higher OCI, partially offset by lower net periodic benefit income, excluding service cost and higher interest and other debt expense, net.

For further details, see Consolidated Operating Results and Operating Results by Business Segment below.

23

Table of Contents

Compounded EPS Growth Rate

Our 2028 Goals include delivering a mid-single digits adjusted diluted EPS CAGR in 2028 from a $4.87 (1) base in 2022. Our calculation of progress towards this goal through 2025 is as follows:

For the Years Ended December 31, CAGR

NPM Adjustment Items (0.01) (0.03)

Acquisition and disposition-related items 0.04 —

Asset impairment, exit and implementation costs 1.14 —

Tobacco and health and certain other litigation items 0.03 0.05

Amortization of intangibles 0.06 0.03

JUUL changes in fair value — 0.81

ABI-related special items 0.04 1.12

Cronos-related special items — 0.10

Income tax items — (0.40)

(1) Prior period amounts have been recast to conform with current period presentation for amortization of intangibles that were not previously identified as special items and that are now excluded from our adjusted financial measures. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures below.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We report our financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, our management also reviews certain financial results, including OCI, OCI margins, net earnings and diluted EPS, on an adjusted basis, which excludes certain income and expense items that our management believes are not part of underlying operations. These items may include, for example, loss on early extinguishment of debt, restructuring charges, asset impairment charges, acquisition, disposition and integration-related items, equity investment-related special items, certain income tax items, charges associated with tobacco and health and certain other litigation items, resolutions of certain non-participating manufacturer (“NPM”) adjustment disputes under the Master Settlement Agreement (“NPM Adjustment Items”) and amortization expense associated with definite-lived intangible assets (“amortization of intangibles”). In addition, our management reviews the ratio of debt-to-Consolidated EBITDA, which we use as a factor to determine our ability to access the capital markets and make investments in pursuit of our Vision. Consolidated EBITDA is calculated in accordance with our Credit Agreement (defined below in Liquidity and Capital Resources) and includes certain adjustments. Our management does not view any of these special items to be part of our underlying results as they may be highly variable, may be unusual or infrequent, are difficult to predict and can distort underlying business trends and results. Our management also reviews income tax rates on an adjusted basis, which may exclude certain income tax items from our reported effective tax rate.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2025, we changed our treatment of our amortization of intangibles that we previously included in our adjusted results, including adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted EPS, and now treat this expense as a special item and exclude it from our adjusted results. Amortization of intangibles is significantly impacted by the timing, frequency and size of acquisitions, each with unique facts and circumstances, which could result in amortization charges that could be inconsistent in size and timing. Net revenues generated from these definite-lived intangible assets during the periods presented, if applicable, are included in our adjusted financial measures.

Our management believes that the foregoing financial measures provide useful additional insight into underlying business trends and results, and provide a more meaningful comparison of year-over-year results. Our management uses these financial measures and regularly provides these to our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) for planning, forecasting and evaluating business and financial performance, including allocating capital and other resources and evaluating results relative to employee compensation targets. The foregoing financial measures are not required by, or calculated in accordance with, GAAP and may not be calculated the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies. The foregoing financial measures should thus be considered as supplemental in nature and not considered in isolation or as a substitute for the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. When we provide a non-GAAP measure in this Form 10-K, we also provide a reconciliation of that non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

24

Table of Contents

Discussion and Analysis

Critical Accounting Estimates

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (“Note 2”) includes a summary of the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. In most instances, we must use an accounting policy or method because it is the only policy or method permitted under GAAP.

The preparation of financial statements includes the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of net revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. If actual amounts are ultimately different from previous estimates, the revisions are included in our consolidated results of operations for the period in which the actual amounts become known. Historically, the aggregate differences, if any, between our estimates and actual amounts in any year have not had a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

The following is a review of the more significant assumptions and estimates, as well as the accounting policies and methods, used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:

▪Revenue Recognition: We define net revenues as revenues, which include excise taxes and shipping and handling charges billed to customers, net of cash discounts for prompt payment, sales returns (also referred to as returned goods) and sales incentives. These consumer incentives consist primarily of price promotions, substantially all of which are made to retailers to incent the promotion of certain product offerings in select geographic areas. These price promotions include estimates of variable consideration and require estimates and judgments based principally on shipment volume, retail acceptance and compliance, redemption and utilization. Actual payments will differ from estimated payments to the extent actual results differ from estimated assumptions. We reflect differences between actual and estimated payments in the period in which actual payments become known, which have not been material to our financial position, results of operations or operating cash flows. We record these expected payments for price promotions as a reduction to revenues upon shipment of goods to customers in our consolidated statements of earnings and in accrued marketing liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets.

▪Depreciation, Amortization, Impairment Testing and Assets Valuation: We depreciate property, plant and equipment and amortize our definite-lived intangible assets using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. We depreciate machinery and equipment over periods up to 20 years, and buildings and building improvements over periods up to 50 years. We amortize definite-lived intangible assets over their estimated useful lives.

We review long-lived assets, including definite-lived intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be fully recoverable. We perform undiscounted operating cash flow analyses to determine if an impairment exists. For purposes of recognition and measurement of an impairment for assets held for use, we group assets and liabilities at the lowest level for which cash flows are separately identifiable. If the carrying value of the long-lived asset exceeds its fair value, we measure the amount of impairment loss as the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the long-lived asset, which is determined using discounted cash flows. We base impairment losses on assets to be disposed of, if any, on the estimated proceeds to be received, less costs of disposal. We also review the estimated remaining useful lives of long-lived assets whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate the lives may have changed.

We conduct a required annual review of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for potential impairment as of October 1 of each year, and more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would require us to perform an interim review, using either a qualitative or quantitative assessment for each of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets. When a qualitative assessment is performed, we determine whether it is more likely than not that an impairment exists based on qualitative factors such as macroeconomic conditions, industry and competitive conditions, legal and regulatory environment, historical financial performance and significant changes impacting the reporting unit and the indefinite-lived intangible assets. In performing a quantitative assessment, if the carrying value of a reporting unit that includes goodwill exceeds its fair value, which is determined using discounted cash flows, goodwill is considered impaired. We measure the amount of impairment loss as the difference between the carrying value and the fair value of a reporting unit; however, the amount of the impairment loss is limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to a reporting unit. If the carrying value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, which is determined using discounted cash flows, we consider the intangible asset to be impaired and reduce the carrying value to fair value in the period identified.

We use an income approach to estimate the fair value of our reporting units and trademarks using information available as of the impairment testing date. The income approach reflects the discounting of expected future cash flows at a rate of return that incorporates the risk-free rate for the use of those funds, the expected rate of inflation and the risks associated with realizing expected future cash flows. The discounted cash flows may include multiple scenarios that consider a range of potential outcomes in projected cash flows.

In determining the estimated fair values of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets in 2025, 2024 and 2023, we made various judgments, estimates and assumptions, the most significant of which were volume, price, revenue, income, operating margins, perpetual growth rates, discount rates and scenario weightings, as applicable.

25

Table of Contents

Goodwill by reporting unit and indefinite-lived intangible assets at December 31, 2025 were as follows:

(in millions) Goodwill Indefinite-LivedIntangible Assets

Cigarettes $ 22 $ 2

Oral nicotine pouches 55 —

2025 Annual Review of Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets

We completed our annual impairment test of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets performed as of October 1, 2025. We elected to perform a qualitative assessment for certain of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets. This qualitative assessment included the review of certain macroeconomic factors and entity-specific qualitative factors discussed above to determine if it was more likely than not that the fair values of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets were below carrying value. For certain of our other reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets, we elected to perform a single step quantitative assessment.

Upon completion of this testing, we determined that the estimated fair values substantially exceeded the carrying values for all of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets with the exception of our e-vapor reporting unit and Skoal trademark.

Our annual impairment test incorporated assumptions used in our long-term financial forecast, which is used by our management to evaluate business and financial performance, including allocating resources and evaluating results relative to employee compensation targets. The assumptions incorporated the highest and best use of our reporting units and indefinite-lived intangible assets and also included perpetual growth rates for periods beyond the long-term financial forecast. The perpetual growth rates and discount rates used in performing the valuations ranged from 0% to 2% and 9.0% to 13.5%, respectively.

Additionally, in determining the significant assumptions, we made judgments regarding the: (i) timing of effective enforcement against illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products; (ii) timing and receipt of regulatory authorizations of innovative tobacco products, including oral nicotine pouches and e-vapor products; (iii) long-term growth of innovative tobacco products, including oral nicotine pouches, and the related impact on the MST category; (iv) long-term growth of the e-vapor category; and (v) conversion rates of illicit flavored disposable e-vapor consumers to FDA-authorized e-vapor products and specifically, NJOY’s e-vapor products. Fair value calculations are sensitive to changes in these estimates and assumptions, some of which relate to broader macroeconomic conditions outside of our control.

Although our discounted cash flow analyses are based on assumptions that we considered reasonable and are based on the best available information as of December 31, 2025, we used significant judgment in determining future cash flows. In addition to the judgments discussed above, the following factors also have the potential to impact our assumptions and thus the expected future cash flows and, therefore, our impairment conclusions: general macroeconomic conditions; governmental actions, including FDA regulatory actions and inaction; changes in category growth (decline) rates as a result of changing adult nicotine consumer preferences; success of planned new product expansions; competitive activity; unfavorable outcomes with respect to litigation proceedings, including actions brought against us alleging patent infringement; and income and excise taxes. For further discussion of these factors, see Operating Results by Business Segment - Business Environment below.

While our management believes that the estimated fair values of each reporting unit and indefinite-lived intangible assets at December 31, 2025 are reasonable, actual performance in the short term or long term could be significantly different from forecasted performance, which could result in impairment charges in future periods.

After recording the impairment charge in the fourth quarter of 2025 (discussed below), the carrying value of the e-vapor reporting unit’s net assets (including the effect of intercompany debt), approximated its estimated fair value. If the assumptions or judgments regarding the expectations for the future state of the e-vapor category and NJOY’s business discussed above fail to materialize as anticipated, if we experience unfavorable outcomes with respect to litigation proceedings (including actions alleging patent infringement), or if the discount rate used to estimate the fair value increases, we could have additional non-cash impairments of our e-vapor reporting unit goodwill in future periods, which could be material. A hypothetical 1% increase in the discount rate used to estimate the fair value of the e-vapor reporting unit would have resulted in an additional goodwill impairment charge of approximately $150 million during 2025.

Although the estimated fair value of the Skoal trademark exceeded its carrying value by approximately 7% ($0.3 billion), MST products, including Skoal, continued to be negatively impacted due in part to evolving adult nicotine consumer preferences, which have continued to contribute to reductions in sales volumes for MST products, including Skoal. If the decline in sales volume for Skoal is higher than currently estimated and results in material revenue declines, we believe there may be a material adverse effect on the significant assumptions used in performing our valuation. If Skoal’s actual revenue and income or long-term outlook are significantly unfavorable

26

Table of Contents

compared to forecasted performance used to estimate the fair value or if the discount rate used to estimate the fair value increases, we could have material non-cash impairments of the Skoal trademark in future periods. A hypothetical 1% increase in the discount rate used to estimate the fair value of the Skoal trademark would have resulted in an impairment charge of approximately $90 million in 2025.

During 2024 and 2023, our annual impairment test of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets resulted in no impairment charges.

E-vapor Reporting Unit Goodwill & Definite-Lived Intangible Assets Impairments

During the fourth quarter of 2025, we determined that the long-lived assets in the e-vapor reporting unit may not be fully recoverable. As a result, we first performed a recoverability test of the e-vapor definite-lived intangible assets. We determined that the asset group was not recoverable because the estimated undiscounted cash flows, including an assumed terminal‐year EBITDA multiple, were less than its carrying value. Second, we measured the impairment loss by comparing the carrying value of the definite-lived intangible assets, consisting of developed technology and trademarks, to their estimated fair values. These fair values were determined using an income approach, specifically the relief from royalty method, which estimates the value of an intangible asset by calculating the present value of the hypothetical royalty payments a company avoids by owning the asset rather than licensing it from a third party. In performing this analysis, we made various judgments, estimates and assumptions, the most significant of which were volume, price, revenue, income, operating margins, scenario weightings, discount rates, royalty rates, obsolescence rates and economic lives. As a result, we recorded a non-cash, pre-tax impairment of these assets of $970 million, which we recorded in our consolidated statement of earnings for the year ended December 31, 2025.

Following the impairment of these e-vapor definite-lived intangible assets, we performed our annual impairment test of goodwill, utilizing the revised carrying amount of the e-vapor reporting unit after reflecting the e-vapor definite-lived intangible assets impairment charges. Our test indicated that the estimated fair value of the e-vapor reporting unit was below its carrying value, resulting in a non-cash goodwill impairment of $285 million, which we recorded in our consolidated statement of earnings for the year ended December 31, 2025. The impairments of the e-vapor definite-lived intangible assets and the e-vapor reporting unit goodwill were due primarily to lower projected volume and revenue as a result of the impact of estimates regarding protracted ineffective enforcement against illicit flavored disposable e-vapor products. After this e-vapor goodwill impairment charge, the carrying value of e-vapor goodwill as of December 31, 2025 was $610 million.

In addition to our annual impairment testing, during the first quarter of 2025 we identified a triggering event related to our e‐vapor reporting unit that required an interim impairment assessment. As a result, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment of goodwill and related intangible assets for the e‐vapor reporting unit as of March 31, 2025. As discussed in Note 4, the interim impairment assessment resulted in a non-cash goodwill impairment of $873 million during the first quarter of 2025, which is recognized in our consolidated statement of earnings for the year ended December 31, 2025. We concluded that the carrying value of our e-vapor definite-lived intangible assets was recoverable and no impairment existed as of March 31, 2025.

As a result of the goodwill impairments recognized in the first and the fourth quarters of 2025, the total non-cash goodwill impairment recognized in our consolidated statement of earnings for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $1,158 million.

▪Investments in Equity Securities: At the end of each reporting period, wereview our equity investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting (ABI and Cronos) for impairment by comparing the fair value of each of our investments to their carrying value. If the carrying value of an investment exceeds its fair value and the loss in value is other than temporary, we consider the investment impaired, reduce its carrying value to its fair value and record the impairment in the period identified. We use certain factors to make this determination, including (i) the duration and magnitude of the fair value decline, (ii) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the investee and (iii) our intent and ability to hold our investment until recovery to its carrying value.

For further discussion of our investments in equity securities, see Note 6. Investments in Equity Securities (“Note 6”).