THE COMPANY
General
We are a Virginia holding company incorporated in 1985. Our wholly-owned subsidiaries include PM USA, which is engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States; John Middleton Co., which is engaged in the manufacture and sale of machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PM USA; Sherman Group Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries, which are engaged in the manufacture and sale of super premium cigarettes and the sale of premium cigars; and UST LLC, which through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd., or Ste. Michelle, is engaged in the manufacture and sale of smokeless tobacco products and wine. Our other operating companies include Nu Mark LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary that is engaged in the manufacture and sale of innovative tobacco products, and Philip Morris Capital Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary that maintains a portfolio of finance assets, substantially all of which are leveraged leases. Additionally, our other wholly-owned subsidiaries include Altria Group Distribution Company, which provides sales, distribution and consumer engagement services to certain of our operating subsidiaries, and Altria Client Services LLC, which provides various support services in areas, such as legal, regulatory, finance, human resources and external affairs, to us and our subsidiaries. In addition, we had an approximate 10.2% ownership of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, or AB InBev, at September 30, 2017.
The brand portfolios of our tobacco operating companies includeMarlboro®,Black & Mild®,Copenhagen®,Skoal®, MarkTen®andGreen Smoke®. Ste. Michelle produces and markets premium wines sold under various labels, includingChateau Ste. Michelle®,Columbia Crest®,14 Hands® andStag’s Leap Wine Cellars™, and it imports and marketsAntinori®,Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte™,Torres® andVilla Maria Estate™ products in the United States.
Our principal executive offices are located at 6601 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230, our telephone number is(804) 274-2200 and our website is www.altria.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not and shall not be deemed to be a part of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement.
PM USA was incorporated in Virginia in 1919. Its principal executive offices are located at 6601 West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia 23230 and its telephone number is(804) 274-2000.
Other
We are a legal entity separate and distinct from our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our right, and thus the right of our creditors and shareholders, to participate in any distribution of the assets or earnings of any subsidiary is subject to the prior claims of creditors of such subsidiary, except to the extent that claims of our company itself as a creditor may be recognized. Because we are a holding company, our access to the operating cash flows of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, including funds to make payment on the debt securities, consists of cash received from our subsidiaries through the payment of dividends and distributions, and the payment of interest on intercompany loans. In addition, we receive cash dividends on our interest in AB InBev if and when AB InBev pays such dividends. Our subsidiaries have no obligation to pay any amounts due pursuant to the debt securities, other than PM USA through its guarantees, if any, of the debt securities. Our principal wholly-owned subsidiaries currently are not limited by long-term debt or other agreements in their ability to pay cash dividends or make other distributions with respect to their equity interests.
RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to uncertainties and risks. You should carefully consider and evaluate all of the information included and incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including the risk factors incorporated by reference from our most recent annual report onForm 10-K and subsequent quarterly reports on Form10-Q, as well as any risk factors we may describe in any subsequent periodic reports or information we file with the SEC. It is possible that our business, financial condition, liquidity or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks.
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