Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. BTI scored 50.3, EL scored 25.5 — BTI leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. EL's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but BTI's are as of December 2025 — a 6-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
BTI
British American Tobacco p.l.c.
Tobacco · Quality-Growth
50.3
$55.50 · $119.4B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
24.8
BTI leads
EL
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Household & Personal Products · Quality-Growth
25.5
$98.05 · $35.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestBTI14.2x
Fastest growthEL+5.0%
Strongest balance sheetBTI0.72
Highest qualityBTI74 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueBTI-1%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
BTI
stronger →← stronger
EL
74
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
49
28
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
57
71
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
6
BTI is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
BTI
EL
$8.9bB+
FCF
$1.3bC+
-1.0%D+
Rev
+5.0%C+
0.72B
D/E
2.43C
14.2xA-
P/E
188.6xD
1.40B
PEG
2.12C
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
BTI
EL
1% below
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
114% above
~1%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~24%/yr
+6%
1-yr DCF upside
-54%
+1%
5-yr DCF upside
-53%
-6%
10-yr DCF upside
-52%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
BTI
Why this score
Raising its dividend
Foreign reporter (GBP)
EL
No notable signals flagged.
The companies
BTIBritish American Tobacco p.l.c.
Tobacco · $55.50 · beta 0.10
Why now
Tobacco · market cap $119.4b. 18% off the 52-week high of $67.30. 6 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $70.43 (implying +27% upside).
Moat
Net margin 30% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 16% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 106% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Dividend payout 84% of earnings on a 6.0% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut.
ELThe Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Household & Personal Products · $98.05 · beta 1.26
Why now
Household & Personal Products · market cap $35.5b. 19% off the 52-week high of $121.64. 28 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $107.34 (implying +9% upside).
Moat
Free cash flow runs well ahead of reported net income, mostly because of depreciation and amortization ($796m) — non-cash charges that hold down reported earnings while cash generation stays strong.
Risk
D/E 2.43 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Trailing P/E 188.6x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating. Net margin 1.2% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where BTI and EL diverge
On the headline score the gap is 24.8 points in favor of BTI. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueBTI 71.0 · EL 5.9BTI +65.1
GrowthBTI 28.2 · EL 56.8EL +28.6
QualityBTI 74.1 · EL 49.3BTI +24.8
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is BTI or EL the better stock?
BTI scores higher: BTI 50.3, EL 25.5 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do BTI and EL differ most?
The widest gap is value, where BTI leads by 65 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are BTI and EL scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.