Better Buy: PepsiCo vs. Altria
There is no shortage of critics when it comes to tobacco and soft drinks. They are addictive and highly unhealthy products. The ramifications that tobacco bellwether Altria (NYSE: MO) and soft drink giant PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) face are different, but with problematic consumption trends for their flagship products they have both diversified over the years to broaden their product lines. Which one will broaden and ideally brighten your portfolio?
Altria vs. PepsiCo may not seem like much of a fight. PepsiCo hit all-time highs last month, and while the recent sell-off finds the shares trading 18% down from their peak as of Thursday's close, it's held up relatively well in the market malaise. Altria has fallen 37% since its 52-week high established in the springtime of last year, and if we draw the starting line all the way back in the summer of 2017, when it established its all-time high, the stock has surrendered more than half of its value. Let's take a closer look at both companies to see which maker of controversial products is the better buy.
Image source: PepsiCo.
Source Fool.com
