Sector Report4 min read
Consumer Staples: Nine A-Grades, Tobacco Still Wins
Tobacco prints 45% margins while Walmart barely clears 2%. Nine A-grades, but only tobacco and Monster look built to last.
Aug 14, 2026
MOPMMNSTSTZ+10
Financial data as of Dec 31, 2025Improving · Consumer Staples
Key financials compared side by side
FCF Margin ranked against sector peers
Tobacco prints 45% margins while Walmart barely clears 2%. Nine A-grades, but only tobacco and Monster look built to last.
Tobacco and beverages print cash. Big retail burns it. The sector splits cleanly between generators and destroyers.
Half the sector earns A-grades on FCF margins above 14%, but Walmart, Costco, and Estée Lauder tell a different story about retail cash generation.