Ascentis Independent Advisors Increases Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Key Points

• Ascentis Independent Advisors nearly doubled its Philip Morris International stake in Q1, increasing holdings by 97.1% to 17,820 shares valued at about $2.95 million.
• Philip Morris International reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $1.96 EPS versus the $1.83 consensus and revenue of $10.15 billion, up 9.1% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, implying an annualized payout of $5.88 and a dividend yield of 3.2%.

Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 97.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,820 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,778 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors' holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 41,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,894,000 after buying an additional 1,536 shares during the period. Hardy Reed LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 10,802 shares of the company's stock worth $1,786,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 73,188 shares of the company's stock worth $12,101,000 after acquiring an additional 1,232 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 119,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,686,000 after acquiring an additional 2,375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 27.1% in the first quarter. Private Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,183 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,353,000 after acquiring an additional 1,745 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE PM opened at $182.52 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $178.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.77. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.11 and a twelve month high of $193.05. The company has a market capitalization of $284.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.38.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $10.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.95 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 11.61% and a negative return on equity of 142.02%. Philip Morris International's revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.69 earnings per share. Philip Morris International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.510 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 25th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 25th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Philip Morris International from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $194.62.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Inc NYSE: PM is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI's product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.

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