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Imperial Brands (IMB) Competitors

Imperial Brands logo
GBX 2,505.44 -9.56 (-0.38%)
As of 08/21/2026 12:44 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?

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

British American Tobacco pays an annual dividend of GBX 242.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.8%. Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. 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 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.

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
British American Tobacco24.99% 13.38% 5.16%
Imperial Brands 8.96%39.24%6.92%

In the previous week, British American Tobacco had 4 more articles in the media than Imperial Brands. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for British American Tobacco and 3 mentions for Imperial Brands. British American Tobacco's average media sentiment score of 0.76 beat Imperial Brands' score of 0.27 indicating that British American Tobacco is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

British American Tobacco has a beta of 0.128, meaning that its share price is 87% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.145, meaning that its share price is 86% less volatile than the broader market.

75.6% of British American Tobacco shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.9% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of British American Tobacco shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by 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 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
British American Tobacco£25.78B3.48-£13.64B£290.8014.30
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.60£1.98B£212.6011.78

British American Tobacco presently has a consensus price target of GBX 4,858.33, indicating a potential upside of 16.84%. Imperial Brands has a consensus price target of GBX 3,433.33, indicating a potential upside of 37.04%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than British American Tobacco.

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

Summary

Imperial Brands beats British American Tobacco on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Imperial Brands compare to Reckitt Benckiser Group?

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

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
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.60£1.98B£212.6011.78
Reckitt Benckiser Group£13.99B0.00N/A£166.30N/A

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
Imperial Brands8.96% 39.24% 6.92%
Reckitt Benckiser Group N/A N/A N/A

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 hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. Reckitt Benckiser Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 175 per share. 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. 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 is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Imperial Brands currently has a consensus price target of GBX 3,433.33, suggesting a potential upside of 37.04%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than Reckitt Benckiser Group.

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
Reckitt Benckiser Group
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 2 more articles in the media than Reckitt Benckiser Group. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Imperial Brands and 1 mentions for Reckitt Benckiser Group. Reckitt Benckiser Group's average media sentiment score of 0.55 beat Imperial Brands' score of 0.27 indicating that Reckitt Benckiser Group is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Imperial Brands
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Reckitt Benckiser Group
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Imperial Brands beats Reckitt Benckiser Group on 13 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 business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, profitability, valuation, dividends and earnings.

In the previous week, Diageo had 4 more articles in the media than Imperial Brands. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Diageo and 3 mentions for Imperial Brands. Diageo's average media sentiment score of 0.32 beat Imperial Brands' score of 0.27 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
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Diageo
1 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Imperial Brands presently has a consensus target price of GBX 3,433.33, indicating a potential upside of 37.04%. Diageo has a consensus target price of GBX 2,029, indicating a potential upside of 18.03%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, 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

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%

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 company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Diageo shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

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£32.29B0.60£1.98B£212.6011.78
Diageo£19.64B1.95£3.96B£108.2015.89

Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.145, indicating that its stock price is 86% 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.

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 102.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.0%. 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 94.9% 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 Diageo on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

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

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

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

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
Imperial Brands8.96% 39.24% 6.92%
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners 9.34%24.93%4.80%

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
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.60£1.98B£212.6011.78
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners£21.35B1.64£1.94B£426.0018.57

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 an annual dividend of GBX 204 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. 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. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners pays out 47.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.145, indicating that its stock price is 86% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has a beta of 0.48, indicating that its stock price is 52% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 3 more articles in the media than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Imperial Brands and 0 mentions for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Imperial Brands' average media sentiment score of 0.27 beat Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' score of 0.00 indicating that Imperial Brands is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Imperial Brands Neutral
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Neutral

Imperial Brands currently has a consensus price target of GBX 3,433.33, indicating a potential upside of 37.04%. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has a consensus price target of GBX 8,320, indicating a potential upside of 5.18%. Given Imperial Brands' higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

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
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

Summary

Imperial Brands beats Coca-Cola Europacific Partners on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Imperial Brands compare to Reckitt Benckiser Group?

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

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
Imperial Brands8.96% 39.24% 6.92%
Reckitt Benckiser Group 21.09%42.87%7.51%

Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. Reckitt Benckiser Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 215.72 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. 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. Reckitt Benckiser Group pays out 48.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.145, meaning that its share price is 86% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Reckitt Benckiser Group has a beta of 0.255, meaning that its share price is 75% less volatile than the broader market.

Imperial Brands currently has a consensus target price of GBX 3,433.33, suggesting a potential upside of 37.04%. Reckitt Benckiser Group has a consensus target price of GBX 6,121.71, suggesting a potential upside of 19.05%. 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
Imperial Brands
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71
Reckitt Benckiser Group
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.43

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
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.60£1.98B£212.6011.78
Reckitt Benckiser Group£13.64B2.39£1.49B£441.6411.64

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 3 more articles in the media than Reckitt Benckiser Group. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Imperial Brands and 0 mentions for Reckitt Benckiser Group. Imperial Brands' average media sentiment score of 0.27 beat Reckitt Benckiser Group's score of 0.00 indicating that Imperial Brands is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Imperial Brands Neutral
Reckitt Benckiser Group Neutral

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

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£18.99B£44.94B£15.97B£2.54B
Dividend Yield6.66%4.81%3.20%6.17%
P/E Ratio11.7812.3713.58367.57
Price / Sales0.6031.18262,280.2283,481.74
Price / Cash10.5713.6257.5727.89
Price / Book3.6616.614.517.19
Net Income£1.98B£1.46B£834.02M£5.89B
7 Day Performance-3.89%-2.14%0.26%0.30%
1 Month Performance-10.33%-3.24%2.22%3.31%
1 Year Performance-19.77%-10.62%13.47%22.13%

Imperial Brands Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
IMB
Imperial Brands
2.873 of 5 stars
GBX 2,505.44
-0.4%
GBX 3,433.33
+37.0%
-19.8%£18.99B£32.29B11.7825,200
BATS
British American Tobacco
3.2888 of 5 stars
GBX 4,147
+0.1%
GBX 4,858.33
+17.2%
-4.5%£89.45B£25.78B14.2652,000
RB
Reckitt Benckiser Group
N/AN/AN/AN/A£48.36B£13.99B40.7937,756
DGE
Diageo
3.0545 of 5 stars
GBX 1,688
-0.9%
GBX 2,029
+20.2%
-19.0%£37.53B£19.64B15.6030,269
CCEP
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
N/AGBX 7,920
+1.5%
GBX 8,320
+5.1%
+17.9%£34.99B£21.35B18.5927,600

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This page (LON:IMB) was last updated on 8/23/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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