Is LAYS or MO a better dividend investment in 2026?

LAYS currently yields 15.45% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. MO yields 9.11% with 4.3% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: LAYS offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between LAYS and MO?

LAYS has a forward dividend yield of 15.45% ($5.86/share annually). MO yields 9.11% ($4.08/share annually). The yield gap is 6.34 percentage points.

Home › Compare › LAYS vs MO

LAYS vs MO: Dividend Comparison 2026

LAYS yields 15.45% · MO yields 9.11%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 LAYS wins by $27.3K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

LAYS

● Live price

15.45%

Share price

$37.92

Annual div

$5.86

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$55.0K

Annual income

$4,007.57

Full LAYS calculator →

Altria Group Inc.

● Live price

9.11%

Share price

$44.80

Annual div

$4.08

5Y div CAGR

4.3%

Payout ratio

78%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$27.7K

Annual income

$4,052.72

Full MO calculator →

Portfolio growth — LAYS vs MO

📍 LAYS pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	LAYS	MO
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, LAYS + MO cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

—

Feb

—

Mar

—

Apr

—

May

—

Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

—

Sep

—

Oct

—

Nov

—

Dec

—

LAYS pays

MO pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

LAYS

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$1,313.49/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$3,406.43/yr

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$774.11/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$3,444.81/yr

At 15% tax rate, MO beats the other by $38.38/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of LAYS + MO for your $10,000?

LAYS: 50%MO: 50%

100% MO50/50100% LAYS

Portfolio after 10yr

$41.4K

Annual income

$4,030.14/yr

Blended yield

9.75%

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Analyst Conviction Gap

Where Wall Street is most bullish on MO right now

LAYS

No analyst data

Analyst Ratings

Buy

Hold

Sell

Consensus: Buy

Price Target

$61.25

+36.7% upside vs current

Range: $47.00 — $68.00

Altman Z

3.2

Piotroski

7/9

Analyst ratings via FMP. Altman Z-Score: >3.0 safe, 1.81–3.0 grey zone, <1.81 distress. Piotroski: 7–9 strong, 0–3 weak.

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Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

LAYS buys

MO buys

No recent congressional trades found for LAYS or MO in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricLAYSMO

Forward yield	15.45% ✓	9.11%
Annual dividend / share	$5.86 ✓	$4.08
Payout ratio	50% ✓	78%
1-year div growth	0%	4.1% ✓
5-year div CAGR	0%	4.3% ✓
Portfolio after 10y	$55.0K ✓	$27.7K
Annual income after 10y	$4,007.57	$4,052.72 ✓
Total dividends collected	$27.1K ✓	$20.9K
Payment frequency	quarterly	quarterly
Sector	Stock	Consumer Staples

Year-by-year: LAYS vs MO ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	LAYS Portfolio	LAYS Income/yr	MO Portfolio	MO Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$12,245	$1,545.29	$10,740	$949.88	+$1.5K → LAYS
2	$14,871	$1,768.46	$11,601	$1,086.84	+$3.3K → LAYS
3	$17,919	$2,007.15	$12,608	$1,250.75	+$5.3K → LAYS
4	$21,434	$2,260.33	$13,792	$1,448.20	+$7.6K → LAYS
5	$25,461	$2,526.80	$15,190	$1,687.69	+$10.3K → LAYS
6	$30,048	$2,805.19	$16,851	$1,980.28	+$13.2K → LAYS
7	$35,246	$3,094.04	$18,838	$2,340.48	+$16.4K → LAYS
8	$41,105	$3,391.79	$21,230	$2,787.44	+$19.9K → LAYS
9	$47,679	$3,696.84	$24,130	$3,346.72	+$23.5K → LAYS
10	$55,024	$4,007.57	$27,676	$4,052.72	+$27.3K → LAYS

LAYS vs MO: Complete Analysis 2026

LAYS — Stock

LAYS pairs two semiconductor leaders that drive AI, gaming, and high-performance computing, offering 200% exposure to NVIDIA and AMD, shaping digital transformation.

Full LAYS Calculator →

MO — Consumer Staples

Altria is a Dividend King with 54+ consecutive years of dividend increases — one of the longest streaks in American corporate history. While cigarette volumes decline, pricing power and new product categories (oral nicotine pouches via NJOY) support cash flows. The near-9% yield is among the highest in the S&P 500.

Full MO Calculator →

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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.