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Altria Group vs Philip Morris International: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Altria holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across valuation and profitability. Philip Morris International still has the edge on growth, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

The clearest separation starts in valuation, but profitability adds another real layer to the result. The overall score gap is 8 points in favour of Altria Group, Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Tobacco

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. MO and PM share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Altria and PM each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
MO
Altria Group, Inc.
69
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
PM
Philip Morris International Inc.
61
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: MO vs PM Profitability 80 68 Stability 80 79 Valuation 86 65 Growth 15 25 MO PM
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +21
#2 Profitability +12
#3 Growth +10
#4 Stability +1
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for MO and PM Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer MOPM Relative valuation Structural strength

Altria Group, Inc. and Philip Morris International Inc. look relatively close on structure, but the price setup still leans toward Altria Group, Inc..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where MO and PM each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY MO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 6 pct gap PM Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 93rd 99th
MO (93rd percentile) and PM (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Valuation
Both look solid on valuation, though Altria Group, Inc. still holds the stronger peer position.
Profitability
On profitability, the edge still sits with Altria Group, Inc., even though both profiles look solid.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
MO
86
PM
65
Gap+21in favour of MO

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a forward P/E that is 9.6 turns lower.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Growth still leans toward Philip Morris International Inc., so the lead is real without reading as one-way.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both valuation and profitability — though growth still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the MO vs PM comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar valuation-and-profitability comparisons

Explore how MO and PM each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.