Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Altria (NYSE: MO) are both popular stocks for income investors. P&G pays a forward yield of 2.5%, and it's raised that payout annually for 63 straight years. Altria pays a forward yield of 6.8%, and it's hiked its payout every year since its spin-off of Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) in 2008.
Altria's yield looks tempting, but its stock also stayed nearly flat this year as P&G rallied over 30%. Let's look back at why these two consumer staples stocks diverged over the past year, and which one is a better overall investment.
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