Which is better, MO or TAL?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Altria Group, Inc. (MO) currently grades higher than TAL — 69/100 (B grade) vs 37/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — MO wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith; TAL wins on none. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy MO or TAL?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both MO and TAL are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is MO better than TAL for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, MO currently grades higher — 69/100 vs 37/100, a 32-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between MO and TAL on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). MO currently scores 69/100 (B grade); TAL scores 37/100 (D grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, MO or TAL?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. MO and TAL are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, MO or TAL?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are MO and TAL both Consumer Defensive stocks?

Yes — both Altria Group, Inc. (MO) and TAL Education Group (TAL) operate in the Consumer Defensive sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this MO vs TAL comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Altria Group

TAL Education Group

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

Altria Group

Market cap

$123.4B

Sector

Consumer Staples

TAL

TAL Education Group

Market cap

$5.95B

Sector

Consumer Staples

Overall winner

Altria Group MO

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	MO	TAL	Winner
Warren Buffett	69B	37D	MO
Benjamin Graham	49D	20F	MO
Philip Fisher	74D	41D	MO
Peter Lynch	54C	31F	MO
Joel Greenblatt	51C	47D	MO
Charlie Munger	84A	33F	MO
Terry Smith	88C	24F	MO

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	MO	TAL
Market cap	$123.4B	$5.95B
P/E (TTM)	15.2x	3.8x
EV/EBIT	9.5x	19.3x
ROIC (TTM)	33.54%	5.01%
Gross margin	67.84%	55.35%
Net margin	36.91%	17.66%
Revenue CAGR 5y	-1.17%	-8.97%
EPS CAGR 5y	32.34%	-
Debt / Equity	-	0.1x
Dividend yield	5.75%	0.0%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

MO leads on

Debt / Equity-vs 0.1x+101%
Dividend yield5.75%vs 0.0%+100%
Market cap$123.4Bvs $5.95B+95%
Revenue CAGR 5y-1.17%vs -8.97%+87%

TAL leads on

P/E (TTM)3.8xvs 15.2x+75%

More like MO

MO vs PM MO vs MNST MO vs CL MO vs NESTLEIND.NS MO vs ITC.NS MO vs PRDO

More like TAL

TAL vs PM TAL vs MNST TAL vs CL TAL vs NESTLEIND.NS TAL vs ITC.NS TAL vs PRDO

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for MO Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for TAL

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.

Stock comparison

Altria Group

TAL Education Group

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

Altria Group

Market cap

$123.4B

Sector

Consumer Staples

TAL

TAL Education Group

Market cap

$5.95B

Sector

Consumer Staples

Overall winner

Altria Group MO

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	MO	TAL	Winner
Warren Buffett	69B	37D	MO
Benjamin Graham	49D	20F	MO
Philip Fisher	74D	41D	MO
Peter Lynch	54C	31F	MO
Joel Greenblatt	51C	47D	MO
Charlie Munger	84A	33F	MO
Terry Smith	88C	24F	MO

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	MO	TAL
Market cap	$123.4B	$5.95B
P/E (TTM)	15.2x	3.8x
EV/EBIT	9.5x	19.3x
ROIC (TTM)	33.54%	5.01%
Gross margin	67.84%	55.35%
Net margin	36.91%	17.66%
Revenue CAGR 5y	-1.17%	-8.97%
EPS CAGR 5y	32.34%	-
Debt / Equity	-	0.1x
Dividend yield	5.75%	0.0%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

MO leads on

Debt / Equity-vs 0.1x+101%
Dividend yield5.75%vs 0.0%+100%
Market cap$123.4Bvs $5.95B+95%
Revenue CAGR 5y-1.17%vs -8.97%+87%

TAL leads on

P/E (TTM)3.8xvs 15.2x+75%

More like MO

MO vs PM MO vs MNST MO vs CL MO vs NESTLEIND.NS MO vs ITC.NS MO vs PRDO

More like TAL

TAL vs PM TAL vs MNST TAL vs CL TAL vs NESTLEIND.NS TAL vs ITC.NS TAL vs PRDO

Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for MO Read the full Buffett-Brain analysis for TAL

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Key terms in this analysis

ROIC Free Cash Flow (FCF)Economic Moat P/E Ratio Margin of Safety Quality Score

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.