Altria Group (NYSE:MO) versus Electronic Cigarettes International Group (OTCMKTS:ECIG) Head to Head Review

Electronic Cigarettes International Group (OTCMKTS:ECIG) and Altria Group (NYSE:MO) are both consumer goods companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, profitability, risk, valuation and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Electronic Cigarettes International Group and Altria Group, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Electronic Cigarettes International Group	0	0	0	0	0.00
Altria Group	2	5	4	0	2.18

Altria Group has a consensus target price of $62.33, suggesting a potential upside of 6.08%. Given Altria Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Altria Group is more favorable than Electronic Cigarettes International Group.

Profitability

This table compares Electronic Cigarettes International Group and Altria Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Electronic Cigarettes International Group	N/A	N/A	N/A
Altria Group	37.89%	-319.43%	26.45%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

57.4% of Altria Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Altria Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Electronic Cigarettes International Group and Altria Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Electronic Cigarettes International Group	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Altria Group	$24.02 billion	4.11	$11.26 billion	$5.24	11.21

Altria Group has higher revenue and earnings than Electronic Cigarettes International Group.

Summary

Altria Group beats Electronic Cigarettes International Group on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Electronic Cigarettes International Group

Electronic Cigarettes International Group Ltd. engages in the marketing and distribution of vaping products and electronic cigarettes. Its brand portfolio include VAPESTICK, FIN, Victory, GreenStix, VIP, E-CIG, and Pro Vapor. The company was founded by Marc Hardgrove on May 19, 2004 and is headquartered in Golden, CO.

About Altria Group

Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand. It sells its products to distributors, as well as large retail organizations, such as chain stores. The company was founded in 1822 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.