Afternoon Brief, July 9th

Altria Reaches Agreement to Sell Its Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Business: Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) today announced that its subsidiary, UST LLC, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (Ste. Michelle) business to Sycamore Partners Management, L.P., a private equity firm specializing in consumer, retail, and distribution investments (Sycamore Partners), in an all-cash transaction with a purchase price of approximately $1.2 billion and the assumption of certain Ste. Michelle liabilities (Transaction)...