diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c b/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c
index 993f4c4b8f44..2b69d238858c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c
@@ -580,16 +580,13 @@ static void print_metricgroup_header_std(struct perf_stat_config *config,
 					 const char *metricgroup_name)
 {
 	struct outstate *os = ctx;
-	int n;
 
 	if (!metricgroup_name) {
 		__new_line_std(config, os);
 		return;
 	}
 
-	n = fprintf(config->output, " %*s", EVNAME_LEN, metricgroup_name);
-
-	fprintf(config->output, "%*s", MGROUP_LEN + config->unit_width + 2 - n, "");
+	fprintf(config->output, " %*s", config->metric_only_len, metricgroup_name);
 }
 
 static void print_metric_only(struct perf_stat_config *config,
@@ -599,19 +596,20 @@ static void print_metric_only(struct perf_stat_config *config,
 	struct outstate *os = ctx;
 	FILE *out = os->fh;
 	char str[1024];
-	unsigned mlen = config->metric_only_len;
+	unsigned mlen;
 	const char *color = metric_threshold_classify__color(thresh);
+	int olen;
 
-	if (!unit)
-		unit = "";
-	if (mlen < strlen(unit))
-		mlen = strlen(unit) + 1;
+	if (!unit) {
+		os->first = false;
+		return;
+	}
 
-	if (color)
-		mlen += strlen(color) + sizeof(PERF_COLOR_RESET) - 1;
+	mlen = max_t(unsigned, strlen(unit), config->metric_only_len);
 
+	olen = snprintf(str, sizeof(str), fmt ?: "", val);
 	color_snprintf(str, sizeof(str), color ?: "", fmt ?: "", val);
-	fprintf(out, "%*s ", mlen, str);
+	fprintf(out, "%*s%s", max_t(int, mlen - olen, 1), "", str);
 	os->first = false;
 }