Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 13,812 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 771,572 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,812 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 2.1% of Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $125,149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cannell & Spears LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.1% in the third quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 30,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,954,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Clear Street Group Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $770,000. Atreides Management LP acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $45,270,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 32.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 17,519 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,842,000 after purchasing an additional 4,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 43.5% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 41,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,812,000 after purchasing an additional 12,727 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $220.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $181.50 target price on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $200.00 price objective on Philip Morris International in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $196.83.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 33,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.61, for a total value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 80,000 shares of the firm’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 value of $14,574,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 632,344 shares in the company, valued at $115,200,429.92. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $174.52 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $176.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.12. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.11 and a twelve month high of $191.30. The company has a market capitalization of $271.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.38.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 6th. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 12.09% and a negative return on equity of 130.95%. The firm had revenue of $10.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.55 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

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

Philip Morris International Company 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.