Seek Returns

MO vs. PEP: Altria vs. PepsiCo Stock Comparison

How do Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP) 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

Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP) both fall under the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group, but MO is classified in Tobacco while PEP is classified in Beverages.

Company profile comparison for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Profile ItemMOPEP
NameAltria Group, Inc.PepsiCo, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupFood, Beverage & TobaccoFood, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS IndustryTobaccoBeverages
GICS Sub-IndustryTobaccoSoft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization109.70 billion USD192.32 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateJanuary 2, 1962June 1, 1972
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

MO
PEP
GSPC
Loading price history…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP), 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
Total Return (1Y)7.03%-1.52%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)23.79%-5.22%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.75%1.05%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

MO
PEP
GSPC
Loading price history…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP), 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.30%21.16%
Beta (5Y)0.440.35
Max Drawdown (5Y)-25.83%-30.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)8.39M8.67M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
MO and PEP 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 Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.12-0.26
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.16-0.39

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: PepsiCo (PEP) earns 51.51% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Altria (MO) has no ROE this period.

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

--

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

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

51.51%

PEP
51.51%
Max
34.02%
Q3
17.32%
Median
12.17%
Q1
3.66%
Min
-16.01%
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): MO does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; PEP is benchmarked against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Altria (MO) at 39.00% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while PepsiCo (PEP) at 10.79% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

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%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

10.79%

Max
25.56%
Q3
11.22%
PEP
10.79%
Median
5.94%
Q1
1.08%
Min
-13.81%
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Altria (MO) at 61.46% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while PepsiCo (PEP) at 16.84% operates around its industry’s norm.

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%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

16.84%

Max
35.93%
Q3
17.10%
PEP
16.84%
Median
11.30%
Q1
3.99%
Min
-11.04%
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
ROE (TTM)--51.51%
ROA (TTM)29.55%8.93%
Net Margin (TTM)39.00%10.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)61.46%16.84%
Gross Margin (TTM)87.17%54.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

PepsiCo (PEP) at 2.25% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Altria (MO) at -1.49% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Altria (MO) at -37.00% and PepsiCo (PEP) at -13.67% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
Revenue Growth (YoY)-1.49%2.25%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.89%2.83%
EPS Growth (YoY)-37.00%-13.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)8.90%-2.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Altria (MO) at 0.52 and PepsiCo (PEP) at 0.93 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.93

Max
4.39
Q3
2.48
Median
1.47
Q1
1.00
PEP
0.93
Min
0.43
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): 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: PepsiCo (PEP) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39 against its industry range, while Altria (MO) reports no figure this period.

MO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

--

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

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.39

PEP
2.39
Max
2.21
Q3
1.13
Median
0.71
Q1
0.31
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): MO does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; PEP is benchmarked against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.520.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--2.39
Net Debt / EBITDA1.412.25

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Altria (MO) at 6.52% and PepsiCo (PEP) at 4.09% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

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%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

4.09%

Max
9.10%
PEP
4.09%
Q3
3.96%
Median
2.53%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

PepsiCo (PEP) at 75.33% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Altria (MO) at 89.26% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

75.33%

Max
169.01%
Q3
81.71%
PEP
75.33%
Median
46.29%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
Dividend Yield (TTM)6.52%4.09%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)89.26%75.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Altria (MO) at 13.83 and PepsiCo (PEP) at 18.45 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.45

Max
43.35
Q3
30.96
Median
18.87
PEP
18.45
Q1
13.69
Min
5.48
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PepsiCo (PEP) at 1.98 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Altria (MO) at 5.37 clears its benchmark range — MO looks notably rich on sales.

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

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.98

Max
4.77
Q3
2.32
PEP
1.98
Median
1.10
Q1
0.56
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): 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 PepsiCo (PEP) reports 8.70, ranking against industry peers normally.

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

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.70

PEP
8.70
Max
6.14
Q3
3.27
Median
1.77
Q1
0.96
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Altria (MO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Altria (MO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
MetricMOPEP
P/E Ratio (TTM)13.8318.45
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.371.98
P/B Ratio (MRQ)-41.118.70
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)8.24%4.07%