Billy Gifford, CEO of Altria Group (MO), earned $18.0M in total compensation in 2024. Altria Group receives a Pay-for-Performance grade of D (46/100), with a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 257:1 and a say-on-pay shareholder approval of 88.4%. The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +0.0%.
How Altria Group CEO Pay Compares
Billy Gifford's $18.0M total compensation is 0% below the Tobacco industry median of $18.0M. The 257:1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 20% higher than the industry average of 214:1.
Altria Group (MO) reported total CEO compensation of $18.0M for Billy Gifford. The structure is typical of large-cap public companies: a small fixed salary, substantial equity awards, and short- and long-term incentive plans tied to performance.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio is 257x, meaning Billy Gifford's $18.0M total comp is roughly that many times the median $70,000 earned by Altria Group workers. The ratio is in the mid-range of S&P 500 disclosures and reflects the standard public-company compensation structure. Three-year performance has been roughly flat — TSR of 0.0% alongside -2.5% revenue growth. Flat performance over a multi-year window is where pay-versus-performance debates get the most heated: large compensation packages without commensurate shareholder returns are the modal complaint at annual meetings.
Say-on-pay support was strong at 88%. The Dodd-Frank-mandated advisory vote on executive compensation passes at most U.S. public companies with comfortable margins; meaningful dissent typically requires either pay-performance misalignment or specific governance concerns. Altria Group operates in Tobacco with 6,000 employees and $20.5B in annual revenue, and currently carries a market capitalization of $100.0B. Pay comparisons across companies require controlling for these structural factors — a $20M package at a $10B-revenue tech company reads differently than the same package at a $1B-revenue industrial.
Source: SEC EDGAR — DEF 14A proxy statements for Altria Group (MO).
Compensation Breakdown
Billy Gifford's $18.0M total compensation package for fiscal year 2024 includes $1.8M in base salary, $9.0M in stock awards, $2.2M in option awards, and $2.7M in bonus and non-equity incentives.
Compensation History
| Year | Salary | Bonus | Stock Awards | Options | Non-Equity | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1.8M | - | $9.0M | $2.2M | $2.7M | $2.0M | $18.0M |
| 2023 | $1.7M | - | $8.6M | $2.1M | $2.6M | $1.9M | $17.1M |
| 2022 | $1.6M | - | $8.1M | $1.9M | $2.4M | $1.8M | $16.2M |
All compensation data is sourced from SEC DEF 14A proxy filings submitted to EDGAR. The Economic Policy Institute's CEO pay analysis provides additional context on executive compensation trends across industries.
Named Executive Officers
Peer CEO Compensation
More Tobacco Companies
Billy Gifford, CEO of Altria Group (MO), earns $18.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Billy Gifford, CEO of Altria Group (MO), earns $18.0M in total compensation. This includes base salary, stock awards, option awards, and other incentives as reported in the company's most recent DEF 14A proxy statement.
Altria Group has a Pay-for-Performance Score of D (46/100). The company's 3-year total shareholder return is +0.0%, and the say-on-pay shareholder vote passed with 88.4% approval.
The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio at Altria Group is 257:1. The median worker at Altria Group earns $70K per year, while CEO Billy Gifford earns $18.0M in total compensation.
Altria Group employs approximately 6,000 people. The company operates in the Tobacco industry within the Consumer Staples sector, generating $20.5B in annual revenue.