Blue Whale Capital LLP Reduces Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Blue Whale Capital LLP trimmed its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 5.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 498,342 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,517 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International accounts for about 4.5% of Blue Whale Capital LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Blue Whale Capital LLP’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $80,831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1,677.8% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 96.5% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Estabrook Capital Management bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 185.5% in the second quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 197 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 80,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $115,200,429.92. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 33,800 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.61, for a total transaction of $6,138,418.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM opened at $172.78 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $268.96 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $175.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.02. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $142.11 and a 1 year high of $191.30.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 company had revenue of $10.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.55 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $200.00 price objective on Philip Morris International in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $181.50 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.83.

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.