What happened Altria Group (NYSE: MO) stock rose 11% last month according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, outpacing the market as measured by the S&P 500's 3.4% gain. That increase still left its performance well behind those of the broader indexes for the year, but it did push the tobacco giant, which had been down by as much as 15% in 2019, back into positive territory. The stock's high dividend payment contributed to further gains for shareholders. Image source: Getty Images. So what November's rise followed a generally strong third-quarter report that was released on the final trading day of October. The tobacco giant revealed a 2% revenue increase along with modest declines in cigarette volumes. Altria also took a massive writedown charge related to its investment in electronic cigarette company Juul Labs. Now what The results demonstrated the power of Altria's selling model, with adjusted earnings per share rising 10% last quarter. Cigarette price increases are likely to keep its earnings rising into 2020, too, management says, despite an expected 6% slide in annual sales volume. 10 stocks we like better than Altria GroupWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Altria Group wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of June 1, 2019 Demitrios Kalogeropoulos has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source