Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Sells 319,300 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group cut its Philip Morris International stake by 47.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 319,300 shares and leaving it with 351,526 shares valued at about $56.4 million.
• Philip Morris International reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.96 versus estimates of $1.83 and revenue of $10.15 billion, with revenue up 9.1% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, payable July 20, and analysts remain broadly positive with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $192.88.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. decreased its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 47.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 351,526 shares of the company's stock after selling 319,300 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $56,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 10.2% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 302,173 shares of the company's stock worth $49,251,000 after purchasing an additional 27,979 shares during the period. Trajan Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 31.2% during the third quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 132,295 shares of the company's stock worth $21,458,000 after purchasing an additional 31,490 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 630,583 shares of the company's stock worth $101,146,000 after purchasing an additional 114,618 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 67,177 shares of the company's stock worth $10,775,000 after purchasing an additional 19,309 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 592,681 shares of the company's stock worth $91,840,000 after purchasing an additional 43,200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.4%

Philip Morris International stock opened at $184.32 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $142.11 and a 12 month high of $193.05. The stock's 50 day moving average is $173.62 and its 200-day moving average is $170.30. The company has a market capitalization of $287.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.92, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.38.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.13. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 142.02% and a net margin of 11.61%.The company had revenue of $10.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on PM. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Philip Morris International from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on Philip Morris International from $181.50 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $192.88.

Philip Morris International Profile

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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