2024 Full-Year Guidance
We expect the combined transactions will be accretive to our 2024 full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS). Therefore, we raise our guidance for 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS to be in a range of $5.05 to $5.17, representing a growth rate of 2% to 4.5% from a base of $4.95 in 2023, to reflect our estimate for lower 2024 weighted-average shares outstanding, partially offset by lower equity earnings related to the reduced ownership of our investment in ABI. We expect 2024 adjusted diluted EPS growth to be weighted to the second half of the year. Our guidance includes the impact of two additional shipping days in 2024 and assumes limited impact from enforcement efforts in the illicit e-vapor market on combustible and e-vapor volumes.
While the 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance accounts for a range of scenarios, the external environment remains dynamic. We will continue to monitor conditions related to (i) the economy, including the cumulative impact of inflation, (ii) adult tobacco consumer dynamics, including purchasing patterns and adoption of smoke-free products, (iii) illicit e-vapor enforcement and (iv) regulatory, litigation and legislative developments.
Our 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance range includes planned investments in support of our Vision, such as (i) marketplace activities in support of our smoke-free products and (ii) continued smoke-free product research, development and regulatory preparation expenses.
The 2024 full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance range excludes estimated net income of approximately $0.2 billion (or $0.12 per share) that we expect to record in the first quarter of 2024 for the partial sale of our investment in ABI. This estimated net income is subject to certain adjustments, including any exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, adjustments related to the conversion from international financial reporting standards to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and adjustments required under the equity method of accounting. Additionally, the guidance excludes an estimated per share gain of $1.17 related to the sale of the IQOS Tobacco Heating System commercialization rights that we expect to record in the second quarter of 2024.
Our full-year adjusted diluted EPS guidance range excludes the impact of 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, and resolutions of certain non-participating manufacturer (NPM) adjustment disputes under the MSA (NPM Adjustment Items).
Our management cannot estimate on a forward-looking basis the impact of certain income and expense items, including those items noted in the preceding paragraph, on our reported diluted EPS because these items, which could be significant, may be unusual or infrequent, are difficult to predict and may be highly variable. As a result, we do not provide a corresponding GAAP measure for, or reconciliation to, our adjusted diluted EPS guidance.
3