Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. PM scored 53.8, MO scored 51.8 — PM leads.
Compare another set
PM
Philip Morris International Inc.
Tobacco · Quality-Growth
53.8
$201.19 · $313.6B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
2.0
PM leads
MO
Altria Group, Inc.
Tobacco · Quality-Growth
51.8
$71.68 · $119.7B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestMO15.1x
Fastest growthPM+8.9%
Highest qualityMO94 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueMO-2%
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)
PM
stronger →← stronger
MO
94
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
94
58
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
27
28
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
55
PM and MO split the three pillars evenly.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
PM
MO
$12.7bA-
FCF
$9.1bB+
+8.9%B
Rev
-0.6%D+
Negative equity
D/E
Negative equity
28.9xC+
P/E
15.1xB+
2.41C
PEG
2.74C
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
PM
MO
48% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
2% below
~16%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~1%/yr
-37%
1-yr DCF upside
+8%
-33%
5-yr DCF upside
+2%
-26%
10-yr DCF upside
-6%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
PM
Why this score
Raising its dividend
MO
Why this score
Durable high returns
The companies
PMPhilip Morris International Inc.
Tobacco · $201.19 · beta 0.36
Why now
Tobacco · market cap $313.6b. 3% off the 52-week high of $207.76. 15 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $208.13 (implying +3% upside).
Moat
Net margin 26% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. FCF converts 117% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash. $313.6b market cap places it among the largest companies in the sector — distribution, R&D, and customer-acquisition costs amortize across a base peers can't replicate.
Risk
Mature compounder — the risk is paying up for quality at a moment when growth is decelerating. Watch for sequential revenue + margin trends; the inflection from "compounder" to "ex-compounder" is hard to spot until the multiple already started compressing.
MOAltria Group, Inc.
Tobacco · $71.68 · beta 0.46
Why now
Tobacco · market cap $119.7b. 7% off the 52-week high of $77.06. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $70.00 (implying -2% upside).
Moat
Net margin 34% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. FCF converts 114% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash. $119.7b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
Dividend payout 89% of earnings on a 6.2% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut.
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 PM and MO diverge
On the headline score the gap is 2.0 points in favor of PM. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
GrowthPM 58.4 · MO 27.2PM +31.2
ValuePM 28.5 · MO 54.7MO +26.2
QualityPM 93.6 · MO 93.8level
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 PM or MO the better stock?
PM scores higher: PM 53.8, MO 51.8 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 PM and MO differ most?
The widest gap is growth, where PM leads by 31 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 PM and MO 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.