Ninety One SA Pty Ltd Increases Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Key Points

• Ninety One SA increased its stake in Philip Morris by 31.1% to 132,155 shares (worth $21.2M), and several other institutional investors also raised positions, leaving institutions owning about 78.63% of the stock.
• Brokerage coverage is broadly constructive — the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" (10 Buys, 2 Holds) with an average target of $192.56 — though individual targets and ratings are mixed (e.g., Needham and UBS trimmed targets while Citi raised theirs).
• The FDA reauthorized IQOS as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP), a positive development that supports PMI’s smoke-free growth strategy and preserves its competitive advantage in heated-tobacco products.

Ninety One SA Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 31.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,155 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 31,374 shares during the period. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 0.9% of Ninety One SA Pty Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Ninety One SA Pty Ltd's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $21,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 43,546,533 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,063,263,000 after acquiring an additional 2,911,835 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.2% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 128,776,327 shares of the company's stock worth $20,887,743,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714,674 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 36.3% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,301,112 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,491,898,000 after purchasing an additional 2,475,204 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1,547.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,260,217 shares of the company's stock valued at $362,539,000 after purchasing an additional 2,123,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lone Pine Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 67.3% during the third quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC now owns 4,614,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $748,463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,856,749 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PM. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $200.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $181.50 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $192.56.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 80,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.18, for a total transaction of $14,574,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,200,429.92. The trade was a 11.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 33,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.61, for a total transaction of $6,138,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 164,463 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,868,125.43. This represents a 17.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Philip Morris International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Philip Morris International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA renews MRTP authorization for IQOS, allowing PMI to continue communicating reduced-exposure claims to adult smokers in the U.S.; this preserves a competitive advantage in heat-not-burn products and supports the company’s smoke-free growth narrative. BusinessWire Article Financial Post Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/commentary notes potential for Q1 EPS upside and short-term positive earnings reaction — investors may be positioning ahead of/after Q1 results for a possible beat-driven move. Seeking Alpha Article
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive (consensus "Moderate Buy"), supporting demand for the shares among institutional holders. AmericanBankingNews Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Street previews and model-tracker pieces flag Q1 results and key operating metrics to watch (volume/mix, pricing, smoke-free sales) — these items are driving near-term focus but not a clear directional surprise consensus. Yahoo Finance Article Zacks Article
• Neutral Sentiment: New commercial tie-up with Ferrari Hypersail is a branding/partnership play — positive for marketing but unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the near term. Yahoo Finance Partnership Article
• Negative Sentiment: UBS flags that FY2026 sales growth could be under pressure, which is a reminder of potential top-line/headwind risks even as margins/pricing stabilize — a risk for forward guidance and multiple expansion. Yahoo/UBS Article

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $157.90 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $171.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $246.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.43. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.11 and a 52-week high of $191.30.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 130.95% and a net margin of 12.09%.The firm had revenue of $10.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Philip Morris International has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.800-1.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.380-8.530 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 19th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is presently 80.88%.

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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