Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or MO?

MO has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.53 and MO at 14.82. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, COST or MO?

Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus MO at -0.68%.

Does COST or MO pay a bigger dividend?

COST yields 0.61% and MO yields 6.15% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is COST or MO more profitable?

MO runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus MO at 36.46%.

How have COST and MO total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.59% and MO delivered 7.96% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs Altria Group, Inc. (MO)

A side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Altria Group, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 13, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

COST

Costco Wholesale Corporation

$401.38B

$905.08Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Sep 15, 2026, 3:20 PM EDT

Altria Group, Inc.

$117.31B

$70.26Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Sep 15, 2026, 3:20 PM EDT

Total return — COST vs MO

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

COST +530.0% (+20.2%/yr)MO +115.7% (+8.0%/yr)COST compounded faster over this window

COST MO

COST vs MO: by the numbers

•COST is the larger company ($401.38B vs $117.31B market cap).
•MO trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (14.82 vs 45.53 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•MO converts more revenue to profit (36.46% vs 3.01% net margin).
•COST grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.48% vs -0.68% CAGR).
•MO pays the higher dividend yield (6.15% vs 0.61%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	COST	MO
P/E ratio	45.53	14.82
Forward P/E	39.93	12.37
P/S ratio	1.37	5.36
P/B ratio	11.98	N/A
EV / EBITDA	28.33	11.20
FCF yield	2.19%	7.08%

Profitability

Metric	COST	MO
Gross margin	12.88%	70.99%
Operating margin	3.82%	55.95%
Net margin	3.01%	36.46%
ROE	26.38%	N/A
ROIC	19.01%	34.45%

Dividends

Metric	COST	MO
Dividend yield	0.61%	6.15%
Payout ratio	27.87%	89.45%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	COST	MO
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.48%	-0.68%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	15.04%	11.36%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.95%	6.93%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	14.94%	15.00%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or MO?: MO has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.53 and MO at 14.82. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, COST or MO?: Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus MO at -0.68%.
Does COST or MO pay a bigger dividend?: COST yields 0.61% and MO yields 6.15% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is COST or MO more profitable?: MO runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus MO at 36.46%.
How have COST and MO total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.59% and MO delivered 7.96% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full COST analysis Full MO analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Costco Wholesale P/E ratio Altria P/E ratio Costco Wholesale dividend yield Altria dividend yield Costco Wholesale ROE Altria ROE Costco Wholesale operating margin Altria operating margin Costco Wholesale revenue growth Altria revenue growth Costco Wholesale free cash flow Altria free cash flow

Costco Wholesale & Altria appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest Operating Margin Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 13, 2026.