RJR RJ Reynolds Tob Hlds

S&P Equity Research Maintains 'Hold' (*** out of *****) on Shares of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco NEW YORK, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's equity analyst covering alcoholic beverages and tobacco companies has reiterated the STARS ranking on shares of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco at "Hold" (*** out of *****) at $48.02 per share. A leading provider of independent investment research, ratings and indices, Standard & Poor's made this announcement through Standard & Poor's MarketScope, its real-time market intelligence service. "R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and British American Tobacco agreed to merge their U.S. tobacco businesses to form a new publicly traded holding company, Reynolds American," says Anishka Clarke, Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Analyst, Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services. "British American will own 42%, R.J. Reynolds shareholders will own 58%. The transaction is expected to close mid-2004 pending the usual approvals. The transaction will give British American a large presence in the U.S. and should provide scale economies to R.J. Reynolds. With combined sales in excess of $10 billion, and volume of about 136 billion units, Reynolds American should be a formidable competitor to Altria. After an 11% rise in its shares this morning, we would continue to hold shares of R.J. Reynolds," concludes Clarke. About Standard & Poor's STock Appreciation Ranking System (STARS) Standard & Poor's STock Appreciation Ranking System (STARS), which was first introduced on December 31, 1986, reflects the opinions of Standard & Poor's equity analysts on the price appreciation potential of 1,200 U.S. stocks for the next 12 month period. Rankings range from five-STARS ("Buy") to one-STARS ("Sell"). About Standard & Poor's Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services has the largest U.S. equity coverage count among equity research firms that are not affiliated with a Wall Street investment bank, analyzing 1,200 U.S. stocks. Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research, data and valuations. With 5000 employees located in 20 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/. The analyst quoted above is a Standard & Poor's equity analyst. He has no affiliation with any company referenced above. He has no ownership interest in any company referenced above. Standard & Poor's other affiliates may provide services to the companies that are the subject of this report. Standard & Poor's analytic services are performed as entirely separate activities in order to preserve the independence of each analytic process. In this regard, STARS, which are published by Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services, operates independently from, and has no access to information obtained by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, which may in the course of its operations obtain access to confidential information. Standard & Poor's analytic services are performed as entirely separate activities in order to preserve the independence of each analytic process. In this regard, STARS, which are published by Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services, operates independently from, and has no access to information obtained by Standard & Poor's Rating Services, which may in the course of its operations obtain access to confidential information. DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: John J. Piecuch Communications Manager (+1) 212-438-1102 Web site: http://www.standardandpoors.com/

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