Recent news events have been supportive for Altria (MO) shareholders, as the company appears to be making monumental progress in redefining its image and its brand offerings. The market's classic cigarette maker has confirmed its interest in buying a minority portion of Aphria, Inc. (OTCQB:APHQF), which is a Canadian cannabis growing company with well-positioned resources in the industry. Altria has explained that it would be possible to expand its exposure into a majority stake at a later date, and these efforts in brand innovation have the potential to reinvigorate investor interest in the stock going forward. Of course, the viability of Altria's expansion into the cannabis world remains uncertain. But broader weakness throughout the traditional tobacco industry may have created new buying opportunities for MO. The stock's supreme 5.17% dividend yield has sustained itself at levels far above the averages seen in the S&P 500, and Altria's next earnings results may confirm the upside momentum in share valuations which has held in place since May.