Philip Morris International vs Universal
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KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Philip Morris International and Universal side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Philip Morris International is the larger business, with $40.6B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $2.9B for Universal, about 14 times as much.
- Philip Morris International grew revenue faster (7.3%, against −1.3%).
- Philip Morris International kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (36.6% operating margin, against 5.8%).
- Philip Morris International turned more of its sales into free cash flow (26.2% FCF margin, against 2.8%).
- Philip Morris International earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (35.4%, against 4.0%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Universal’s earnings: a P/E of 51.3x against 29.5x for Philip Morris International.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 10 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Philip Morris International
PM
9/10
Revenue growthGross marginOperating marginNet marginFCF marginReturn on capitalPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Universal
UVV
1/10
5-year growth
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | PM FY25 | UVV FY26 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $314.9B | $978M |
| Revenue | $40.6B | $2.9B |
| Free cash flow | $10.7B | $80.3M |
| Net income | $11.3B | $32.6M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | 7.3% | −1.3% |
| 5-year growth | 7.2% | 8.0% |
| Share count change | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 67.1% | 16.4% |
| Operating margin | 36.6% | 5.8% |
| Net margin | 27.9% | 1.1% |
| FCF margin | 26.2% | 2.8% |
| Return on capital | 35.4% | 4.0% |
| Return on equity | — | 2.3% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $44.0B | $842M |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 2.6x | 3.8x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $8.6B | $81.3M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 29.5x | 51.3x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 5 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.