Marlboro maker Altria in talks to take minority stake in Juul

Altria Group, one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco and cigarettes, is reportedly in talks to take a significant minority stake in e-cigarette company Juul, reports CNBC.

The big picture: Though Juul is reconstructing its marketing plan to curb usage among teens, the company still has a majority of the market share in e-cigarettes and is valued at $16 billion. The business for e-cigarettes is expected to rise at an annual growth rate of 17%, higher than 12% in 2017, according to a Wells Fargo analysis of Nielsen data.

By the numbers

• Traditional cigarette smoking is decreasing in the U.S. Nearly 38 million, or 15.5%, of American adults smoked cigarettes in 2016, which is down from 20.9% in 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Altria also sells e-cigarettes, but Juul beats its sliver of the market share along with other competitors like British American Tobacco and R.J. Reynolds.

Yes, but: If Altria goes through with investing more in the controversial e-cigarette market, the price could be steep considering the startup's bolstering valuation.

Go deeper:

• A surge in youth vaping is driving the FDA's crackdown
• FDA planning proposal to ban menthol cigarettes