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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

The Coca-Cola Company vs Altria Group: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Altria holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and valuation. The Coca-Cola Company still leads on growth and stability, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is mixed, without a decisive signal in either direction. 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 2026-05-17

Most of the visible separation comes from profitability. The overall score gap is 13 points in favour of Altria Group, Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.78
Similar
Peer-set rank: #1
within The Coca-Cola Company's functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

The strongest overlap appears in margin consistency and revenue stability.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencyrevenue stability
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
KO
The Coca-Cola Company
66
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
MO
Altria Group, Inc.
79
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: KO vs MO Profitability 54 90 Stability 84 72 Valuation 61 86 Growth 75 60 KO MO
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +36
#2 Valuation +25
#3 Growth +15
#4 Stability +12
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for KO and MO Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer KOMO Relative valuation Structural strength

Altria Group, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company 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 KO and MO each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY KO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap MO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 99th
KO (99th percentile) and MO (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
Profitability
Both rank well on profitability, but Altria Group, Inc. still holds a clear edge.
Valuation
On valuation, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but Altria Group, Inc. still leads clearly.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
KO
54
MO
90
Gap+36in favour of MO

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 27-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

The Coca-Cola Company still shows lower market-fundamental divergence, which keeps the wider picture mixed rather than completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

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

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

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Similar profitability-and-valuation comparisons

Explore how KO and MO 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.