Independent Franchise Partners LLP Sells 2,290,300 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Key Points

• Independent Franchise Partners LLP reduced its stake in Philip Morris International by 34.5%, selling over 2.29 million shares, leaving it with approximately 4.35 million shares in its portfolio.
• Major institutional investors such as Vanguard Group and Goldman Sachs have increased their holdings in Philip Morris International during the first quarter, reflecting a broader confidence in the company's stock.
• Philip Morris International reported second quarter earnings of $1.91 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, and announced a dividend yield of 3.1% for investors.

Independent Franchise Partners LLP cut its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 34.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,353,531 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,290,300 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International comprises 4.9% of Independent Franchise Partners LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Independent Franchise Partners LLP owned about 0.28% of Philip Morris International worth $691,036,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 0.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 140,621,675 shares of the company's stock worth $22,320,878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,189,283 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 26.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 21,840,422 shares of the company's stock worth $3,466,730,000 after acquiring an additional 4,563,632 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,630,177 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,640,392,000 after purchasing an additional 1,347,503 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,712,994,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 57.5% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,794,530 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,554,686,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575,158 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. KGI Securities initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, August 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $220.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $186.27.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $171.67 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $173.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.19. The company has a market capitalization of $267.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.48. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.12 and a 1 year high of $186.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $10.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.33 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 120.86%. The business's revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.59 EPS. Philip Morris International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.130 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 27th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 27th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 102.66%.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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