BTI vs. MO: British American Tobacco vs. Altria Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO) are both classified in the Tobacco sub-industry within the broader Tobacco industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Altria (MO) trades as ordinary local shares, while British American Tobacco (BTI) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Profile Item	BTI	MO
Name	British American Tobacco p.l.c. ADR	Altria Group, Inc.
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Food, Beverage & Tobacco	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Tobacco	Tobacco
GICS Sub-Industry	Tobacco	Tobacco
Market Capitalization	123.00 billion USD	109.70 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	April 14, 1980	January 2, 1962
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BTI

GSPC

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
Total Return (1Y)	5.08%	7.03%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	30.21%	23.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.36%	14.75%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BTI

GSPC

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.11%	25.30%
Beta (5Y)	0.30	0.44
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-29.84%	-25.83%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.21M	8.39M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BTI and MO are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.04	0.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.07	0.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: British American Tobacco (BTI) earns 13.42% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Altria (MO) has no ROE this period.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

13.42%

Max: 34.02%
Q3: 17.32%
BTI: 13.42%
Median: 12.17%
Q1: 3.66%
Min: -16.01%

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

Max: 34.02%
Q3: 17.32%
Median: 12.17%
Q1: 3.66%
Min: -16.01%
MO: --

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): MO does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; BTI is benchmarked against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Altria (MO) at 39.00% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and British American Tobacco (BTI) at 24.99% also retains a top-quartile share.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

24.99%

Max: 25.56%
BTI: 24.99%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 1.08%
Min: -13.81%

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

39.00%

MO: 39.00%
Max: 25.56%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 1.08%
Min: -13.81%

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Altria (MO) at 61.46% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and British American Tobacco (BTI) at 34.91% also operates in the top quartile.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

34.91%

Max: 35.93%
BTI: 34.91%
Q3: 17.10%
Median: 11.30%
Q1: 3.99%
Min: -11.04%

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

61.46%

MO: 61.46%
Max: 35.93%
Q3: 17.10%
Median: 11.30%
Q1: 3.99%
Min: -11.04%

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
ROE (TTM)	13.42%	--
ROA (TTM)	5.12%	29.55%
Net Margin (TTM)	24.99%	39.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.91%	61.46%
Gross Margin (TTM)	82.72%	87.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both British American Tobacco (BTI) at -0.99% and Altria (MO) at -1.49% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

British American Tobacco (BTI) at 156.69% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Altria (MO) at -37.00%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-0.99%	-1.49%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.53%	-0.89%
EPS Growth (YoY)	156.69%	-37.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	6.15%	8.90%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both British American Tobacco (BTI) at 0.84 and Altria (MO) at 0.52 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.84

Max: 4.39
Q3: 2.48
Median: 1.47
Q1: 1.00
BTI: 0.84
Min: 0.43

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.52

Max: 4.39
Q3: 2.48
Median: 1.47
Q1: 1.00
MO: 0.52
Min: 0.43

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: British American Tobacco (BTI) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72 against its industry range, while Altria (MO) reports no figure this period.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.72

Max: 2.21
Q3: 1.13
BTI: 0.72
Median: 0.71
Q1: 0.31
Min: 0.00

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

Max: 2.21
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.71
Q1: 0.31
Min: 0.00
MO: --

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): MO does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; BTI is benchmarked against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.84	0.52
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.72	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.90	1.41

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both British American Tobacco (BTI) at 4.27% and Altria (MO) at 6.52% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

4.27%

Max: 9.10%
BTI: 4.27%
Q3: 3.96%
Median: 2.53%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

6.52%

Max: 9.10%
MO: 6.52%
Q3: 3.96%
Median: 2.53%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both British American Tobacco (BTI) at 84.64% and Altria (MO) at 89.26% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

84.64%

Max: 169.01%
BTI: 84.64%
Q3: 81.71%
Median: 46.29%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

89.26%

Max: 169.01%
MO: 89.26%
Q3: 81.71%
Median: 46.29%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.27%	6.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	84.64%	89.26%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both British American Tobacco (BTI) at 14.52 and Altria (MO) at 13.83 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

14.52

Max: 43.35
Q3: 30.96
Median: 18.87
BTI: 14.52
Q1: 13.69
Min: 5.48

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

13.83

Max: 43.35
Q3: 30.96
Median: 18.87
MO: 13.83
Q1: 13.69
Min: 5.48

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: British American Tobacco (BTI) at 4.77 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Altria (MO) at 5.37 prices even higher, above its industry range.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

4.77

BTI: 4.77
Max: 4.77
Q3: 2.32
Median: 1.10
Q1: 0.56
Min: 0.00

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

5.37

MO: 5.37
Max: 4.77
Q3: 2.32
Median: 1.10
Q1: 0.56
Min: 0.00

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Altria (MO) reports a negative P/B ratio of -41.11, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile British American Tobacco (BTI) reports 9.85, ranking against industry peers normally.

BTI

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

9.85

BTI: 9.85
Max: 6.14
Q3: 3.27
Median: 1.77
Q1: 0.96
Min: 0.00

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

-41.11

Max: 6.14
Q3: 3.27
Median: 1.77
Q1: 0.96
Min: 0.00
MO: -41.11

British American Tobacco (BTI) vs. Altria (MO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for British American Tobacco (BTI) and Altria (MO)
Metric	BTI	MO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	14.52	13.83
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.77	5.37
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	9.85	-41.11
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.87%	8.24%