U.S. tariffs should be ‘manageable’ for global tobacco companies, says UBS

President Trump’s new tariffs on U.S. imports, including a 10% baseline tariff on imports from all countries, should be “manageable” for global tobacco companies, UBS tells investors in a research note. At the same time, the firm says the broader impact from the tariffs could be negative for the U.S. consumer, which could continue to negatively impact U.S. cigarette volumes, though economic uncertainty is likely to continue to benefit the defensiveness and low volatility of the tobacco sector, resulting in the continued outperformance of the tobacco sector. Publicly traded companies under the firm’s coverage include Altria (MO), BAT (BTI), Imperial Brands (IMBBY), and Philip Morris (PM).