Altria 4Q profit falls 9 pct, CEO to retire (AP) - Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. says its fourth-quarter profit fell about 9 percent on lease and restructuring charges even as higher prices and gains from other tobacco products helped bolster its sales. The owner of the nation's biggest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, also said Friday that CEO Mike Szymanczyk will retire in May. Altria reported net income of $836 million, or 41 cents per share, for the period ended Dec. 31. That's down from $919 million, or 44 cents a share, last year. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 50 cents per share. That was a penny above Wall Street expectations. Revenue, excluding excise taxes, increased 5 percent to $4.34 billion. Cigarette volumes were flat, volumes for its smokeless tobacco products rose about 10 percent and cigar volumes fell about 6 percent.