Short-Term Borrowings and Borrowing Arrangements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Short-Term Borrowings and Borrowing Arrangements

Short-Term Borrowings and Borrowing Arrangements

At December 31, 2020 and 2019, Altria had no short-term borrowings.

At December 31, 2020, Altria had a senior unsecured 5-year revolving credit agreement (as amended, the “Credit Agreement”) that provides for borrowings up to an aggregate principal amount of $3.0 billion. The Credit Agreement, which is used for general corporate purposes, expires on August 1, 2023 and includes an option, subject to certain conditions, for Altria to extend the Credit Agreement for two additional one-year periods. Pricing for interest and fees under the Credit Agreement may be modified in the event of a change in the rating of Altria’s long-term senior unsecured debt. Interest rates on borrowings under the Credit Agreement are expected to be based on the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), or a mutually agreed upon benchmark rate, plus a percentage based on the higher of the ratings of Altria’s long-term senior unsecured debt from Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“Standard & Poor’s”). The applicable percentage based on Altria’s long-term senior unsecured debt ratings at December 31, 2020 for borrowings under the Credit Agreement was 1.0%. The Credit Agreement does not include any other rating triggers, or any provisions that could require the posting of collateral.

The Credit Agreement includes various covenants, one of which requires Altria to maintain a ratio of consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) to Consolidated Interest Expense of not less than 4.0 to 1.0, calculated as of the end of the applicable quarter on a rolling four quarters basis. At December 31, 2020, the ratio of consolidated EBITDA to Consolidated Interest Expense, calculated in accordance with the Credit Agreement, was 9.0 to 1.0. At December 31, 2020, Altria was in compliance with its covenants in the Credit Agreement. The terms “Consolidated EBITDA” and “Consolidated Interest Expense,” each as defined in the Credit Agreement, include certain adjustments.

In March 2020, due to the uncertainty at that time in the global capital markets, including the commercial paper markets, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Altria elected to borrow the full $3.0 billion available under the Credit Agreement as a precautionary measure to increase its cash position and preserve financial flexibility. In June 2020, Altria repaid the full amount outstanding under the Credit Agreement using the net proceeds from the issuance of long-term senior unsecured notes issued in May 2020 and available cash.

At December 31, 2020 and 2019, Altria had no borrowings under the Credit Agreement. The credit line available to Altria at December 31, 2020 under the Credit Agreement was $3.0 billion.

At December 31, 2018, Altria had aggregate short-term borrowings of $12.8 billion under the Term Loan Agreement that was set to mature in December 2019. In February 2019, Altria repaid all of the outstanding $12.8 billion using the net proceeds from the issuance of long-term senior unsecured notes. Upon repayment, the Term Loan Agreement terminated in 2019, and Altria recorded approximately $95 million of pre-tax acquisition-related costs for the write-off of the debt issuance costs related to the Term Loan Agreement, which were recorded in interest and other debt expense, net in Altria’s consolidated statement of earnings (losses).

Any commercial paper issued by Altria and borrowings under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by PM USA as further discussed in Note 9. Long-Term Debt.