Conning Inc. Raises Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Key Points

• Conning Inc. increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 14,043 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 170,476 shares worth about $27.3 million.
• Philip Morris International posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.96 versus $1.83 expected and revenue of $10.15 billion, up 9.1% from a year ago.
• The company maintained a 3.1% dividend yield and has seen generally positive analyst coverage, with 10 Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $192.56.

Conning Inc. boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 170,476 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,043 shares during the period. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $27,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 549,481 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,922,000 after purchasing an additional 51,399 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 27,979 shares during the period. Trajan Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.2% during the third quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 132,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,458,000 after buying an additional 31,490 shares during the last quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.0% during the third quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,505,000 after buying an additional 9,622 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 43,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,125,000 after acquiring an additional 8,392 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM stock opened at $191.73 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $142.11 and a one year high of $192.92. The firm's fifty day moving average is $166.56 and its 200 day moving average is $165.44. The firm has a market cap of $298.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.37.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.13. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 11.61% and a negative return on equity of 142.02%. The business had revenue of $10.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.69 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th were issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is presently 82.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PM. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $220.00 to $180.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price 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. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $192.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 33,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.61, for a total value of $6,138,418.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 164,463 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,868,125.43. This trade represents a 17.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 80,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.18, for a total value of $14,574,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 632,344 shares of the company's stock, valued at $115,200,429.92. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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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