Head-to-head · free
Costco vs Altria
COST vs MO — return on capital, cash generation, margins and balance sheet side by side.
COST
5 / 9
measures where COST leads
MO
4 / 9
measures where MO leads
A simple count of which company scores better on each measure — not a recommendation to buy or sell.
| Measure | COST · FY2026 | MO · FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $303.2B | $23.3B |
| Net income | $9.2B | $6.9B |
| Revenue growth (yearly, multi-year) | 7.5% | -2.7% |
| Free cash flow | $9.4B | $9.1B |
| Free cash flow margin | 3.1% | 39.0% |
| Net cash / (debt) | $11.6B | — |
| ROIC | 22.5% | 32.6% |
| Return on equity | 30.7% | — |
| Gross margin | 12.8% | 72.2% |
| Operating margin | 3.8% | 59.8% |
| Net debt / EBITDA | -0.66x | 2.09x |
Figures are as reported by each company; latest fiscal year shown.
Where Costco's cash went (FY2026)
- Capital spending
- $6.4B
- Buybacks
- $848.0M
- Dividends
- $2.5B
- Acquisitions
- $0
- Net debt issued / (repaid)
- $312.0M
Where Altria's cash went (FY2025)
- Capital spending
- $216.0M
- Buybacks
- —
- Dividends
- —
- Acquisitions
- —
- Net debt issued / (repaid)
- —
Ask which business is stronger
"Which one reinvests at higher returns?" "Who carries more risk in its filings?" Get answers drawn straight from both companies' filings.
Compare them free