Altria Group (NYSE: MO) reported earnings on Oct. 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended Sep. 30 (Q3), Altria Group beat expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew and GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly.

Gross margins dropped, operating margins grew, net margins dropped.

Revenue details
 Altria Group reported revenue of $4.47 billion. The eight analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $4.36 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 3.2% higher than the prior-year quarter's $4.33 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 EPS came in at $0.58. The 13 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.58 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.32 for Q3 were 44% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.57 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
 For the quarter, gross margin was 55.6%, 90 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 44.3%, 90 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 14.7%, 1,240 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $4.36 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.54.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $17.37 billion. The average EPS estimate is $2.20.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 8,650 members out of 8,974 rating the stock outperform, and 324 members rating it underperform. Among 2,230 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 2,191 give Altria Group a green thumbs-up, and 39 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Altria Group is outperform, with an average price target of $35.38.

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