Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 27,593 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 24.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 141,757 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,593 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $25,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Linscomb Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 83,205 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,207,000 after purchasing an additional 2,669 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,583,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $568,873,000 after purchasing an additional 242,799 shares during the last quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 79.0% during the 1st quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,334 shares of the company’s stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 2,354 shares during the last quarter. Cortland Associates Inc. MO raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 704.0% during the 1st quarter. Cortland Associates Inc. MO now owns 142,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,690,000 after purchasing an additional 125,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 24.9% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 439,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,695,000 after purchasing an additional 87,631 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $153.09 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $168.64. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.12 and a 52-week high of $186.69. The stock has a market cap of $238.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.10, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.05. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.86% and a net margin of 9.03%.The business had revenue of $10.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.59 EPS. Philip Morris International’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Philip Morris International has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.080-2.130 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 3rd. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on PM shares. KGI Securities started coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Monday, August 4th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $195.44.

About Philip Morris International

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.