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Imperial Brands (IMB) Competitors

Imperial Brands logo
GBX 2,509 +21.00 (+0.84%)
As of 09/11/2026 12:38 PM Eastern

IMB vs. BATS, RB, DGE, CCEP, and RKT

Should you buy Imperial Brands stock or one of its competitors? Imperial Brands's main competitors and comparable companies include British American Tobacco (BATS), Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB), Diageo (DGE), Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), and Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "consumer staples" sector.

How does Imperial Brands compare to British American Tobacco?

Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) and British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, profitability, earnings, dividends and risk.

80.9% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.6% of British American Tobacco shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of British American Tobacco shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Imperial Brands currently has a consensus target price of GBX 3,433.33, suggesting a potential upside of 36.84%. British American Tobacco has a consensus target price of GBX 4,858.33, suggesting a potential upside of 18.50%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than British American Tobacco.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Imperial Brands
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71
British American Tobacco
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 2 more articles in the media than British American Tobacco. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Imperial Brands and 6 mentions for British American Tobacco. Imperial Brands' average media sentiment score of 0.18 beat British American Tobacco's score of -0.15 indicating that Imperial Brands is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Imperial Brands
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
British American Tobacco
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
2 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Imperial Brands has higher revenue and earnings than British American Tobacco. Imperial Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than British American Tobacco, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.59£1.98B£212.6011.80
British American Tobacco£25.78B3.43-£13.64B£290.8014.10

Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.134, indicating that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, British American Tobacco has a beta of 0.114, indicating that its stock price is 89% less volatile than the broader market.

British American Tobacco has a net margin of 24.99% compared to Imperial Brands' net margin of 8.96%. Imperial Brands' return on equity of 39.24% beat British American Tobacco's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Imperial Brands8.96% 39.24% 6.92%
British American Tobacco 24.99%13.38%5.16%

Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. British American Tobacco pays an annual dividend of GBX 242.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Imperial Brands pays out 75.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. British American Tobacco pays out 83.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Imperial Brands is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Imperial Brands beats British American Tobacco on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Imperial Brands compare to Reckitt Benckiser Group?

Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RB) and Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, profitability, earnings and valuation.

80.9% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Imperial Brands has a net margin of 8.96% compared to Reckitt Benckiser Group's net margin of 0.00%. Imperial Brands' return on equity of 39.24% beat Reckitt Benckiser Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Reckitt Benckiser GroupN/A N/A N/A
Imperial Brands 8.96%39.24%6.92%

Imperial Brands has a consensus price target of GBX 3,433.33, indicating a potential upside of 36.84%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than Reckitt Benckiser Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Reckitt Benckiser Group
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00
Imperial Brands
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71

Imperial Brands has higher revenue and earnings than Reckitt Benckiser Group. Reckitt Benckiser Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Imperial Brands, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Reckitt Benckiser Group£13.99B0.00N/A£166.30N/A
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.59£1.98B£212.6011.80

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 8 more articles in the media than Reckitt Benckiser Group. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Imperial Brands and 0 mentions for Reckitt Benckiser Group. Imperial Brands' average media sentiment score of 0.18 beat Reckitt Benckiser Group's score of 0.00 indicating that Imperial Brands is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Reckitt Benckiser Group Neutral
Imperial Brands Neutral

Reckitt Benckiser Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 175 per share. Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. Reckitt Benckiser Group pays out 105.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Imperial Brands pays out 75.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Imperial Brands is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Imperial Brands beats Reckitt Benckiser Group on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Imperial Brands compare to Diageo?

Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) and Diageo (LON:DGE) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.134, indicating that its stock price is 87% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Diageo has a beta of 0.307, indicating that its stock price is 69% less volatile than the broader market.

Diageo has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Imperial Brands. Imperial Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Diageo, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.59£1.98B£212.6011.80
Diageo£19.64B1.81£3.96B£77.9020.58

In the previous week, Diageo had 5 more articles in the media than Imperial Brands. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Diageo and 8 mentions for Imperial Brands. Diageo's average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Imperial Brands' score of 0.18 indicating that Diageo is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Imperial Brands
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Diageo
7 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. Diageo pays an annual dividend of GBX 83.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.2%. Imperial Brands pays out 75.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Diageo pays out 106.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Imperial Brands is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

80.9% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.2% of Diageo shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Diageo shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Imperial Brands has a net margin of 8.96% compared to Diageo's net margin of 8.91%. Imperial Brands' return on equity of 39.24% beat Diageo's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Imperial Brands8.96% 39.24% 6.92%
Diageo 8.91%15.52%8.30%

Imperial Brands currently has a consensus price target of GBX 3,433.33, suggesting a potential upside of 36.84%. Diageo has a consensus price target of GBX 2,029, suggesting a potential upside of 26.58%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than Diageo.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Imperial Brands
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71
Diageo
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

Summary

Imperial Brands beats Diageo on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Imperial Brands compare to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners?

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (LON:CCEP) and Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, media sentiment, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners presently has a consensus target price of GBX 8,320, suggesting a potential upside of 9.55%. Imperial Brands has a consensus target price of GBX 3,433.33, suggesting a potential upside of 36.84%. Given Imperial Brands' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00
Imperial Brands
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has a net margin of 9.34% compared to Imperial Brands' net margin of 8.96%. Imperial Brands' return on equity of 39.24% beat Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners9.34% 24.93% 4.80%
Imperial Brands 8.96%39.24%6.92%

20.9% of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.9% of Imperial Brands shares are held by institutional investors. 18.3% of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Imperial Brands shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Imperial Brands has higher revenue and earnings than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Imperial Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners£21.35B1.57£1.94B£444.0017.11
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.59£1.98B£212.6011.80

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 7 more articles in the media than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Imperial Brands and 1 mentions for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' average media sentiment score of 0.67 beat Imperial Brands' score of 0.18 indicating that Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Imperial Brands
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has a beta of 0.48, meaning that its share price is 52% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.134, meaning that its share price is 87% less volatile than the broader market.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners pays an annual dividend of GBX 207 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners pays out 46.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Imperial Brands pays out 75.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Summary

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Imperial Brands tied by winning 9 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Imperial Brands compare to Reckitt Benckiser Group?

Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RKT) and Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, media sentiment, profitability, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and dividends.

Reckitt Benckiser Group has a beta of 0.255, indicating that its share price is 75% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.134, indicating that its share price is 87% less volatile than the broader market.

Reckitt Benckiser Group has a net margin of 21.09% compared to Imperial Brands' net margin of 8.96%. Reckitt Benckiser Group's return on equity of 42.87% beat Imperial Brands' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Reckitt Benckiser Group21.09% 42.87% 7.51%
Imperial Brands 8.96%39.24%6.92%

68.6% of Reckitt Benckiser Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.9% of Imperial Brands shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of Reckitt Benckiser Group shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Imperial Brands shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 8 more articles in the media than Reckitt Benckiser Group. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Imperial Brands and 0 mentions for Reckitt Benckiser Group. Imperial Brands' average media sentiment score of 0.18 beat Reckitt Benckiser Group's score of 0.00 indicating that Imperial Brands is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Reckitt Benckiser Group Neutral
Imperial Brands Neutral

Imperial Brands has higher revenue and earnings than Reckitt Benckiser Group. Reckitt Benckiser Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Imperial Brands, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Reckitt Benckiser Group£13.64B2.33£1.49B£441.6411.32
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.59£1.98B£212.6011.80

Reckitt Benckiser Group presently has a consensus target price of GBX 6,178.86, indicating a potential upside of 23.58%. Imperial Brands has a consensus target price of GBX 3,433.33, indicating a potential upside of 36.84%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than Reckitt Benckiser Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Reckitt Benckiser Group
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57
Imperial Brands
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71

Reckitt Benckiser Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 215.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. Reckitt Benckiser Group pays out 48.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Imperial Brands pays out 75.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Summary

Imperial Brands beats Reckitt Benckiser Group on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding IMB and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of LON and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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IMB vs. The Competition

MetricImperial BrandsTobacco IndustryConsumer Staples SectorLON Exchange
Market Cap£18.97B£45.11B£15.47B£2.87B
Dividend Yield6.74%4.86%3.26%6.23%
P/E Ratio11.8012.1714.11366.83
Price / Sales0.5930.75262,948.3283,599.70
Price / Cash10.5713.3256.8127.89
Price / Book3.6716.614.766.33
Net Income£1.98B£1.46B£837.55M£5.89B
7 Day Performance0.51%-1.76%-1.42%-0.69%
1 Month Performance-3.84%-5.55%-1.60%0.18%
1 Year Performance-21.35%-10.73%10.48%20.03%

Imperial Brands Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
IMB
Imperial Brands
3.1828 of 5 stars
GBX 2,509
+0.8%
GBX 3,433.33
+36.8%
-21.2%£18.97B£32.29B11.8025,100
BATS
British American Tobacco
3.4208 of 5 stars
GBX 4,079
-0.5%
GBX 4,858.33
+19.1%
-2.4%£87.85B£25.78B14.0352,000
RB
Reckitt Benckiser Group
N/AN/AN/AN/A£48.36B£13.99B40.7937,756
DGE
Diageo
4.056 of 5 stars
GBX 1,627.27
-0.2%
GBX 2,029
+24.7%
-15.9%£36.18B£19.64B20.8930,269
CCEP
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
1.6053 of 5 stars
GBX 7,855
+0.4%
GBX 8,320
+5.9%
+13.9%£34.65B£21.35B17.6927,600

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This page (LON:IMB) was last updated on 9/12/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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