Tobacco stocks have long been ripe territory for income investors, and after years of consolidation and decline, the industry has been whittled down to three major players: Altria (NYSE: MO) and Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM), which were once part of the same company; and British American Tobacco. BAT deserves consideration from income investors open to tobacco stocks, but here we'll focus on just Altria and Philip Morris, two companies with similar product portfolios and who have a history of working together.

When the old Philip Morris split in 2008 into Philip Morris International and Altria, which is the parent of Philip Morris USA, PMI took the territory outside the U.S., while Altria retained domestic operations, and the two companies have evolved since. Let's take a look at how the two stocks stack up in various categories to see which is the better buy today.

Image source: Getty Images.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com