Tim Brown: Altria's the Real Deal

That makes me think Altria will be in good shape to continue its dominance.

Look at its balance sheet. It has a return on equity of 94.5%, and its return on assets is 24.5%. It has a forward P/E of 11.3, $38.2 billion in revenue and $14 billion in operating cash flow. It has $4.8 billion in cash and $38.1 billion in revenue. It's got institutional support, too -- 72% of the stock is held by institutions.

Its first-quarter earnings also came through solidly with EPS of $0.37, up 12% from the year-ago period. At 21 bucks, I think it's hard to miss with this one.

Keep moving the chains!