“We demonstrated this commitment in the first quarter, by paying approximately $1.7 billion in dividends and announcing a new progressive dividend goal that targets mid-single-digit dividend growth annually through 2028.”

In context

“remained the category leader. Turning to our investment in ABI. We recorded $180 million of adjusted equity earnings for the quarter, up 28%. We continue to view the ABI stake as a financial investment, and our goal remains to maximize the long-term value of the investment for our shareholders. Our balance sheet remains strong. And as of the end of the first quarter, our debt-to-EBITDA ratio was 2.1. In February, we retired $1.3 billion of notes that came due with available cash. And as part of the IQOS agreement we announced last fall, we expect to receive the remaining $1.7 billion plus interest from Philip Morris International by July of this year. We remain committed to creating long-term shareholder value through the pursuit of our vision and our focus on significant capital returns. We demonstrated this commitment in the first quarter, by paying approximately $1.7 billion in dividends and announcing a new progressive dividend goal that targets mid-single-digit dividend growth annually through 2028. Due to the timing of our announcement of the NJOY transaction, we did not repurchase any shares in the first quarter. As of March 31st, we had $1 billion remaining under the current share repurchase program, which we expect to complete by the end of this year. With that, we’ll wrap up, and Billy and I will be happy to take your questions. While the calls are being compiled, I’ll remind you that today’s earnings release and our non-GAAP reconciliations are available on altria.com. We’ve also posted our usual quarterly metrics, which include pricing, inventory and other items. Let’s now open the question-and-answer period. Operator, do we have any questions? Operator: [Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from Bonnie Herzog with Goldman Sachs. Bonnie Herzog: I guess my first ques”