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Looking up the ticker with the regulator···
0s · usually 20–30 seconds for a cold read
Altria Group, Inc.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
Signals align: quality at a discount to the sector
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4 of 5 met · composite in line with peers
Business quality, valuation against the sector, and position in the 52-week range — whether they line up or not.
Stable quality
Profitability
3/4
Debt & liquidity
2/3
Efficiency
1/2
Capital returns at MO run well ahead of the sector: ROIC sits +150% above the sector median 18.1%, and operating margin exceeds the sector median 12.2% by +247%, a spread that few Consumer Staples peers match. FCF yield of 8.2% also outpaces the sector median 4.7% by +77%, so the cash backing those margins is real. The tension is on the other side of the ledger: revenue grew only -3.1% year over year against a sector median of 2.3%, and the current ratio of 0.65 trails the sector median 0.83 by -22%, pointing to a balance sheet that carries limited short-term cushion. The F-Score of 6/9 reads as stable rather than deteriorating. Consensus carries a mixed signal here — the beat rate is weak and the last report came in slightly below estimates, so the market's forward models deserve some caution.
| Ticker | Name | F-Score | ROE | Revenue YoY | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | Colgate-Palmolive | 5/9 | 1 603% |
Quarter-by-quarter classification · a retrospective read by the current logic · not a price forecast
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. The method did not see these quarters in real time; this is the current logic applied to past reports.
The market prices in earnings growth; analyst sentiment is steady; has not always beaten consensus.
Price against next year's expected earnings. The forward P/E already carries analyst optimism — read it alongside the “Versus consensus” line.
A forward P/E below the current one means the market expects earnings to grow; above it, to fall. The historical growth is realized figures from SEC filings, not a forecast.
The three-month change in the share of positive analyst ratings. This is sentiment, not an earnings-estimate revision, and not a call to act.
When Altria reports on October 29, 2026, track cigarette shipment volume alongside revenue year over year — MO's top-line growth sits 236% below the sector median at 2.25%, so any further volume erosion is the key number to watch. Also check whether the F-Score profitability block holds its 3/4 reading, particularly gross margin stability.
Pull Altria's most recent 10-K on SEC EDGAR and read the risk factors section alongside management's discussion of the smoke-free product transition. Pay specific attention to disclosures around the current ratio of 0.83 — 22% below the sector median — and how management frames near-term liquidity against its debt obligations.
In the same-sector table in section 06, pick two or three companies yourself and line up FCF yield and operating margin against MO's 4.66% and 12.2% figures. The table is alphabetical with no ranking, so the comparison is yours to draw — focus on where MO's ROIC of 18.1% sits relative to the peers you select.
Steps you can check yourself, based on the figures in this brief.
Piotroski F-Score: nine binary tests of financial strength from the annual report. A ✓ marks a test passed, a dot (·) a test failed.
Over 4 years: -2%+13%-5%+5%
Over 4 years: 2.072.122.032.37
Over 4 years: -4%-2%-2%-3%
The context on the right shows how each figure compares with the sector median. The trend below tracks the change over recent fiscal years.
Beat consensus in 5 of 8 recent quarters — a mixed record.
Last quarter's EPS against consensus, plus the estimated date of the next report.
| +1% |
| 16% |
| COST | Costco | 7/9 | 31% | +8% | 4% |
| GIS | General Mills | 5/9 | -1% | -5% | 5% |
| HSY | Hershey | 4/9 | 19% | +4% | 12% |
| KMB | Kimberly-Clark | 4/9 | 173% | -2% | 14% |
| KO | Coca-Cola | 6/9 | 46% | +2% | 29% |
| KR | Kroger | 6/9 | 14% | +0% | 1% |
| MDLZ | Mondelez | 6/9 | 9% | +6% | 9% |
| MO | Altria Group, Inc. | 6/9 | — | -3% | 43% |
| PEP | PepsiCo | 5/9 | 43% | +2% | 12% |
| PG | Procter & Gamble | 6/9 | 30% | +3% | 23% |
| PM | Philip Morris | 7/9 | — | +7% | 37% |
| SYY | Sysco | 7/9 | 78% | +4% | 4% |
| TGT | Target | 6/9 | 24% | -2% | 5% |
| WMT | Walmart | 7/9 | 23% | +5% | 4% |
A sample of 15 companies in the sector including the target, alphabetical, unranked. Data from the latest SEC annual reports.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
A simplified retrospective read: no analyst forecast (not available historically); the source is the annual report as of the date, so neighbouring quarters can rest on the same data. Quarters with the same classification in a row are merged into one row — each row is one change in the read, not a separate quarter. One ticker is an illustration of the classification logic, not statistics. How we calculate →
The last few quarters are recent context, not a fixed rate. Consensus for near quarters is set low, so companies clear it routinely; over long horizons the forecasts run the other way, too high.
A description of what the market and analysts expect. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. Analyst forecasts run systematically optimistic over long horizons — read them with that discount.