Altria (NYSE: MO) and British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI) are two of the largest cigarette companies in the world. They both offer massive dividend yields, with Altria at 9.3% and British American Tobacco at 9.8%. That’s in fact the main reason that most investors will be interested in either of these two companies. But which of these high-yield stocks is the better option?
Warning: You might want to avoid them both
Before looking at whether Altria or British American Tobacco is the better company, it is important to take a look at another issue. Do you want to own a cigarette company at all? Yes, the huge dividend yields are attractive, but the businesses that support those yields are facing a secular decline.
In 2018 Altria produced 109.8 billion cigarettes. By 2023 that number had declined to 76.3 billion. Some simple math shows that this is a roughly 30%…
