<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Empire Life Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of  Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  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.</p><ul><li>Doubt the Market? 3 Stocks to Rideout Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt</li></ul><p>A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in  Philip Morris International by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 145,262,397 shares of the company's stock worth $23,300,088,000 after purchasing an additional 1,793,949 shares during the period.  Capital World Investors boosted its position in  Philip Morris International by 2.2% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 128,776,327 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,887,743,000 after buying an additional 2,714,674 shares during the period.  Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of  Philip Morris International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 89,150,871 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,461,220,000 after buying an additional 882,885 shares during the last quarter.  Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of  Philip Morris International by 7.2% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 43,546,533 shares of the company's stock worth $7,063,263,000 after buying an additional 2,911,835 shares during the period.  Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of  Philip Morris International by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 14,701,879 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,384,645,000 after acquiring an additional 401,381 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own  78.63% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Philip Morris International Trading Up 2.7%</h2><p>Shares of PM opened at $187.05 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $142.11 and a 1-year high of $191.30. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $166.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $291.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.37. </p><ul><li>3 Dividend Kings Outshining the Market in 2025</li></ul><p>Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) 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 net margin of 11.61% and a negative return on equity of 142.02%. The business had revenue of $10.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.69 earnings per share. Philip Morris International's quarterly 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.  On average, research analysts forecast that  Philip Morris International Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Philip Morris International Announces Dividend</h2><p>The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend 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 presently 82.70%. </p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><ul><li>3 Stocks Lifting 2025 Guidance Despite Market Jitters</li></ul><p>In other Philip Morris International news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 33,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 164,463 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,868,125.43. This trade represents a 17.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 80,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,344 shares in the company, valued at $115,200,429.92. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. </p><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><p>Several equities analysts recently issued reports on PM shares. Citigroup raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays  reissued an &#34;overweight&#34; rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings  restated a &#34;buy (b)&#34; rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock  has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $192.56.</p><p><b>View Our Latest Analysis on PM</b></p><h2>Philip Morris International Company Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Philip Morris International Inc <span>NYSE: PM<span></span></span> 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.  </p><p>PMI's product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Philip Morris International</li><li>Navy Catalyst Ignites Odysight’s Growth Engine</li><li>AST SpaceMobile Plummets on Galactic Q1 Miss: Can Vertical Integration Save the SpaceX Rival?</li><li>Axon Surged After Earnings and Is Still Down Over 50% From Highs</li><li>The Event That Could Redefine Apple’s Summer Rally</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVBN?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVBN"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Philip Morris International Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Philip Morris International, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Philip Morris International wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Philip Morris International currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Empire Life Investments Inc. increased its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. by 10.3% in Q4, acquiring an additional 8,858 shares, bringing its total to 94,873 shares valued at $15.2 million. Other institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Capital World Investors, also raised their positions. Philip Morris shares opened at $187.05, with a market cap of $291.53 billion. The company reported a quarterly EPS of $1.96, exceeding estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47, yielding 3.1%.</p>

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