Empire Life Investments Inc. Buys 8,858 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Empire Life Investments Inc. raised its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 94,873 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,858 shares during the period. Empire Life Investments Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $15,218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 96.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group reduced their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $220.00 to $180.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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. Ten investment 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $192.56.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of PM opened at $187.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.99. The firm has a market cap of $291.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.37. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.69 earnings per share. Philip Morris International’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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 80,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.18, for a total value of $14,574,400.00. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 33,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were 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 $29,868,125.43. This represents a 17.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.