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Compare the 10-year performance and dividend income and total return of two biggest companies in the Tobacco industry: Altria Group, Inc. (MO) and Philip Morris International Inc. (PM).

Altria & Philip Morris used to be one company until a split in 2008. After the split, Altria (MO) retained the US part of the combined business, while Philip Morris International (PM) got all the international markets. After split, shareholders of the combined company, received 1 share of each PM and MO.

Given this history, it is especially interesting to see how these two companies did post-split, with equal distributions to pre-split shareholders.

Philip Morris International Inc. PM | NYSE
$201.13 -$0.61 | -0.3%
10 Year Returns (with DRIP): 237.7%
Dividend (Quarterly): $1.60
Dividend Yield (FWD): 3.18%
Altria Group, Inc. MO | NYSE
$76.07 $2.24 | 3.03%
10 Year Returns (with DRIP): 132.3%
Dividend (Quarterly): $1.11
Dividend Yield (FWD): 5.84%

10 years returns for MO & PM - dividends, price growth and total returns:

Stats below compares the performance of a $10,000 investment into each company 10 years ago, with dividends being automatically reinvested (DRIP) on the payout day, with no additional investments.

MO PM
Starting Balance $10,000 $10,000
Initial Price $64.95 $96.91
Initial Shares153.96 103.19
   
Total Dividends $7,771 $6,728
   
Last Shares Price $76.07 $201.13
Final Shares 305.44 167.91
Total Portfolio Value $23,235 $33,771
Total Return 132.3% 237.7%

Here is a chart comparing the 10-year total returns of MO and PM, shown side-by-side. These total return figures take into account dividend reinvestment and represent the value of all shares owned at each respective point in time.

1Y 2Y 5Y 10Y All

Estimate Dividend Snowball and total future returns for MO and PM with our dividend (DRIP) calculator.

Altria Group, Inc. (MO) and Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) are two names in the Tobacco business, both trading on NYSE. PM is roughly 2.5x MO's size — a $314.4B market cap against $127.0B. Over the trailing twelve months, MO booked $20.4B in revenue against PM's $42.5B. On price, PM has been the faster grower — a 7.57%/yr CAGR over the last 10 years versus 1.59%/yr for MO. The numbers on this page — total returns of a $10,000 dividend-reinvested (DRIP) position, price history, dividend growth, valuation and growth — come straight from our market data.

MO vs PM at a glance

Over the past 10 years, PM delivered the stronger run: a $10,000 position with dividends reinvested grew to $33,771, a 237.7% total return — far ahead of the same $10,000 in MO, which reached $23,235 (132.3%). That is a 105.4-point spread, measured, not projected.

On the dividend side, MO pays $1.11 quarterly — a 5.84% yield at today's $76.07 price — while PM pays $1.60 quarterly for a 3.18% yield at $201.13. Over the window, the $10,000 position collected $7,771 in MO dividends against $6,728 from PM. MO has raised its payout faster, compounding 5.84%/yr against 3.6%/yr for PM.

Every figure in this comparison is computed from DRIPCalc's own price and dividend history for MO and PM — the same data behind every chart and calculator on this page.

MetricMOPM
Share Price$76.07$201.13
Market Cap$127.0B$314.4B
Dividend Yield5.84%3.18%
Payment FrequencyQuarterlyQuarterly
Latest Payment$1.11$1.60
Dividend Growth (CAGR)5.84%/yr3.6%/yr
Price CAGR1.59%/yr (10Y)7.57%/yr (10Y)
Total Return (10Y, with DRIP)132.3%237.7%
$10,000 Grew To$23,235$33,771
Compare Earnings, Free Cash Flow, Dividend Payout Ratios and other metrics for MO vs PM — or open each ticker's full history: MO, PM.

Here are 5 year price charts for MO & PM:

In the span of 10 years, the price of MO climbed 17%, from $64.95 to $76.07 — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.59%.

In the span of 10 years, the price of PM climbed 108%, from $96.91 to $201.13 — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.57%.

Last Price MO - $76.07
MO Price CAGR:1Y: 18.07%2Y: 23.27%5Y: 9.55%10Y: 1.79%
Last Price PM - $201.13
PM Price CAGR:1Y: 27.54%2Y: 23.72%5Y: 15.73%10Y: 7.57%

Dividend payments and yield graphs for MO & PM:

The 10-year window opened with MO paying $0.98 per share; the latest payment is $1.11 — a dividend CAGR of 5.84%. PM went from $1.04 to $1.60 over the same stretch, a 3.6% CAGR.

Dividend Data MO
MO Dividend CAGR:1Y: 4.72%2Y: 4.32%5Y: 4.28%10Y: 6.17%
Dividend Data PM
PM Dividend CAGR:1Y: 8.84%2Y: 8.87%5Y: 5.06%10Y: 4.40%

Charts above show historic dividend payments for each company, with the Dividend Yield curve overlaying the payments and the Dividend CAGR for the last 1, 2, 5 and 10 years. A rising yield curve means the price was cheap relative to the dividend at those payment dates; a sloping-down curve means the stock was getting more expensive relative to its dividends.

Based on MO's 10-year CAGR, it would take 12.33 years to double your dividend yield-on-cost.
Based on PM's 10-year CAGR, it would take 20 years to double your dividend yield-on-cost.

Rule of 72: divide 72 by a growth rate to approximate the years it takes to double — the doubling times above come straight from each dividend CAGR on this page. One caution: extreme double-digit yields have historically often preceded dividend cuts.

Investing $10,000 in MO & PM today: Estimated Future Return & Dividends:

Looking across up to ten years of history, MO achieved a share price compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.59%, accompanied by a dividend CAGR of 5.84%.

By the same measure, PM recorded a share price CAGR of 7.57%, along with a dividend CAGR of 3.6%.

How a $10,000 investment could perform based on these historic CAGR numbers:

If you invest $10000 today into one of these companies, applying these CAGR figures forecasts the 10-year path of your initial investment, assuming dividends are continuously reinvested (DRIP), as detailed below:

MOPM
Start Value$10,000$10,000
Start Share Price$76.07$201.13
Start Shares131.4649.72
Start Dividend (Yield)$1.11 (5.84%)$1.6 (3.18%)
  
Final Shares264.8365.08
Final Dividends$1.96$2.28
Annual Dividends$2,074$593
Share Price$89.09$417.43
Total Dividends$11,060$4,359
Final Value$23,595$27,168

And here is how your $10,000 investment into Altria Group, Inc. or Philip Morris International Inc. could perform based on the CAGR figures above, represented on a graph - a Dividend DRIP Snowball:

Estimated Future Returns - MO
Estimated Future Returns - PM

Try our dividend DRIP calculator: MO or PM - estimate your returns and dividend income!

Using our dividend calculator, you can customize initial investment, projected Dividend & Price growth rate, additional investment amount and frequency, to fit your investing style and goals.

The figures above are projections built on each stock's historical Dividend and Price CAGR under a DRIP assumption — estimations only, and actual returns will vary.


Deep Dive TL;DR: MO vs PM

Both sides of this trade, in numbers:

The case for MO
  • 13.2x forward earnings vs 23x — roughly half PM's multiple, and the cheaper stream of free cash flow (13.9x vs 24.7x P/FCF).
  • Wider profitability — net margin 37.6% vs 25.5%, ROIC 35.7% vs 26.1%.
  • 45¢ of every revenue dollar becomes free cash flow (vs 30¢ at PM).
  • The income side: a 5.84% yield growing 5.84%/yr.
The case for PM
  • 3x the forward growth — the street pencils in 13.5% forward EPS growth vs 4.8% (next 4 quarters vs last 4, street estimates) and revenue growing 8.9% vs 0.9% over the last year.

Latest price & signal check: MO vs PM

MO$76.07
Trend Signal:MO has a Trend Signal — Oct 9 '26 (14 days ago)|Oct 9 '26|RSI 72MO has a Trend Signal — Oct 9 '26 (14 days ago)
PM$201.13
Trend Signal:PM has a Trend Signal — Oct 8 '26 (15 days ago)|Oct 8 '26|RSI 57PM has a Trend Signal — Oct 8 '26 (15 days ago)

Signal states are computed by our signals engine from price data — shown here as data points, not recommendations.

Longer-term price trends: MO vs PM

MO last closed at $76.07, within 0% of its 52-week high of $76.07. The share price has gone up 18.1% over the last year, a 9.5%/yr pace over five years, compounded 1.8%/yr over the decade.

PM last closed at $201.13, 2.2% below its 52-week high of $205.58. The share price has gone up 27.5% over the last year, a 15.7%/yr pace over five years, compounded 7.6%/yr over the decade.

Price CAGRs are computed from closing prices over each window — descriptive history, not a projection.

Earnings power: what MO and PM actually earn

Over the trailing twelve months, MO earned $4.74 per share on $20.44B of revenue, while PM earned $6.96 per share on $42.55B — MO's revenue base is barely half of PM's.

MO compounded reported EPS at 7.6%/yr over 3 years (14.1%/yr over 5). Meanwhile PM compounded reported EPS at 10.4%/yr over 3 years (4.1%/yr over 5). Both rates compare reported results with reported results — the forward view further down uses estimates against estimates.

Against expectations: MO beat GAAP-based street numbers in 3 of the last 8 quarters; PM beat GAAP-based street numbers in 4 of the last 8 quarters.

Head-to-head: MO vs PM across four metric families

Each family scores its own game — cheaper wins valuation, faster wins growth, higher wins profitability, cleaner wins cash quality. A cell is highlighted when the gap tops 3%; anything tighter is scored even.

Valuation

(cheaper wins)Family winner: MO (4–1)
MetricMOPMEdge
Trailing PE16.0x28.9xMO
Forward PE *13.2x23.0xMO
PEG (est-basis) *2.731.70PM
P/FCF13.9x24.7xMO
P/S (TTM)6.2x7.4xMO

MO is the cheaper ticket on 4 of 5 measures — you pay $13.2 per $1 of next-year street earnings vs $23 on the other side.

Growth

(faster wins)Family winner: PM (0–5)
MetricMOPMEdge
Revenue growth (1Y, actual)+0.9%+8.9%PM
Revenue CAGR (3Y, actual)-0.4%+8.7%PM
EPS growth (1Y trailing, actual)-8.3%+32.1%PM
EPS growth (fwd, next 4Q vs last 4Q) *+4.8%+13.5%PM
FCF CAGR (3Y, actual)+2.0%+19.7%PM

PM is the faster machine — revenue up 8.9% vs 0.9% over the last year, street estimates up 13.5% vs 4.8% over the next four quarters.

Profitability

(higher / expanding wins)Family winner: MO (4–0)
MetricMOPMEdge
Gross margin (TTM)70.0% ▲ +0.9pp vs 3y ago67.5% ▲ +4.5pp vs 3y agoMO
Operating margin (TTM)58.1% ▲ +2pp vs 3y ago37.7% ▲ +2.5pp vs 3y agoMO
Net margin (TTM)37.6% ▲ +4.2pp vs 3y ago25.5% ▲ +1.1pp vs 3y agoMO
ROIC (TTM)35.7%26.1%MO

MO keeps more of every sale — 37.6¢ of each revenue dollar survives to the bottom line vs 25.5¢; the arrows show whether each margin widened or shrank vs three years ago.

Cash Quality

(cleaner wins)Family winner: MO (2–0)
MetricMOPMEdge
FCF / revenue (TTM)44.6%29.9%MO
SBC / revenue (TTM)0.0%0.0%—
SBC as % of FCF (TTM)0.0%0.0%—
Share count, 3Y change-6.3% (buyback)+0.6% (dilution)MO
R&D / revenue (TTM)N/AN/Ainfo

MO runs the cleaner cash machine and stock-comp claims 0% of its free cash flow vs 0%. R&D weight is shown for context, not scored — heavy research spend is a strategy, not a defect.

* forward figures use street estimates for quarters past the last reported one (45-day window). Forward EPS growth = the next 4 quarters' street estimates over the last 4 quarters' street estimates (estimate over estimate, never estimates over reported actuals) — the same figure as each stock page's Company Overview. PEG = forward PE ÷ that growth (N/M under 2% growth). Forward PE is price over estimated earnings — the market convention.

Free cash flow: the money that's actually left over

MO generated $9.11B of free cash flow over the trailing twelve months — 28% less than PM's $12.72B.

Per share, quarter by quarter — the cleaner lens once buybacks enter the picture:

Quality check — MO converts 114% of net income into free cash (up from 99% a year ago); PM converts 117% of net income into free cash (up from 109% a year ago). Above 100% means the business throws off more cash than its accounting profit suggests.

Capital intensity: capex eats 1.4¢ of every revenue dollar at MO — up from 0.7¢ a year ago; capex eats 3.6¢ of every revenue dollar at PM — flat year over year.

The margin story: who keeps more of each sale

MO's net margin averaged 37.6% over the last four quarters vs 42.8% the year before — contracting. PM's net margin averaged 25.5% over the last four quarters vs 21% the year before — expanding.

If the trends hold: a 5-year back-of-the-envelope for MO & PM

If MO delivers the street's next-four-quarter EPS and compounds it at the estimate-over-estimate 3.5%/yr, still fetching 13.2x forward earnings in five years, the stock would trade near $87.35. A buyer demanding 15%/yr returns could pay up to $43.43 today (current price: $76.07).

If PM delivers the street's next-four-quarter EPS and compounds it at the estimate-over-estimate 10.2%/yr, still fetching 23x forward earnings in five years, the stock would trade near $296.67. A buyer demanding 15%/yr returns could pay up to $147.50 today (current price: $201.13).

Caveat, prominently: these paths extrapolate street estimates and today's forward multiples five years into the future. Estimates get revised, multiples compress, trends bend, cycles turn — treat this as arithmetic, not prophecy.

Yield-on-cost, five years out

At today's 5.84% yield, five more years of MO's 5.84%/yr dividend growth would put the yield-on-cost at 7.76% of today's price. Meanwhile, at today's 3.18% yield, five more years of PM's 3.6%/yr dividend growth would put the yield-on-cost at 3.8% of today's price.

Bottom Line: MO vs PM

Family score: MO 3 — 1 PM.

MO brings the cheaper way in, the wider margins, the cleaner cash machine; PM brings the faster compounder. On the income side (not scored above), MO carries the stronger dividend story.

Which trade-off you prefer is the whole question this pair asks: MO offers the cheaper way in and the wider margins and the cleaner cash machine; PM offers the faster compounder. The tables above put a number on each side of that trade.

As always: these are computed from reported numbers and street estimates, not a recommendation.

MO vs PM: quick answers

Which had the higher total return over the last 10 years: MO or PM?

Over the 10-year window measured on this page, PM had the higher total return: 237.7% with dividends reinvested (a $10,000 position grew to $33,771), while MO returned 132.3% ($23,235).

Which has the higher dividend yield today: MO or PM?

MO yields 5.84% today, compared with 3.18% for PM. Yields move with price, so the gap changes day to day.

How often do MO and PM pay dividends?

Both pay quarterly: MO's latest payment was $1.11 per share and PM's was $1.60.

Whose dividend has grown faster: MO or PM?

Measured by the dividend CAGR on this page, MO's payout compounded 5.84%/yr, against 3.6%/yr for PM.