Orin
PMNYSE·Tobacco

Philip Morris International Inc. PM

Market cap $295.1BP/E 27.4× trailingGross margin 67.5%Reports Wed 21 Oct, before the open
$190.84
+0.61 (+0.32%)Wed close 16:00 ET
52-wk $142.11 – $207.76
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Orin's take
0.62conviction · moderate
Refreshed 30 Aug · take v6. A new filing or a print queues the next refresh.

Philip Morris International's smoke-free transformation is delivering genuine momentum: FY2025 revenue grew 7.3% to $40.6B with EPS surging 60.6% to $7.26, and the FDA's August 2026 authorization of 11 ZYN ULTRA nicotine pouch products extends the regulatory runway for a smoke-free segment that now exceeds 41% of revenues. Smart-money scores have recovered from -0.02 in Q3 2025 to 0.25 by Q2 2026, and the stock trades above both its 50-day ($187.07) and 200-day ($173.62) moving averages at $191.89.

However, at 27.6x earnings — a 38.7% premium to the peer median of 19.9x — with $48.8B in total debt against negative book equity of -$10.0B, the valuation and leverage profile leave little margin for error, keeping the risk/reward balanced rather than compelling at current levels.

What could go wrong

  • Valuation compression. At 27.6x earnings and 7.03x sales — 38.7% and 53.4% above peer medians respectively — any deceleration in smoke-free adoption or EPS growth could trigger multiple contraction toward the 19.9x peer median.
  • Balance sheet leverage. Total debt of $48.8B against negative stockholders' equity of -$10.0B creates structural fragility; rising rates or cash flow disruption could constrain the dividend growth and buyback program that support the premium multiple.
  • Regulatory reversal. The August 2026 FDA authorization for 11 ZYN ULTRA pouches is a tailwind, but nicotine product regulations remain subject to revisitation, litigation, or tightening marketing restrictions that could slow the smoke-free transition.
  • Combustible volume decline. While smoke-free products exceed 41% of revenues, the remaining cigarette business faces secular volume erosion that could dampen overall revenue growth if ZYN/IQOS adoption plateaus.

What would change my mind

Q3 2026 earnings. Smoke-free revenue mix surpassing 43% with ZYN shipment acceleration in the U.S. post-FDA authorization would confirm the growth runway; stagnation below 41% would signal the premium is unsustainable.bullish
Dividend hike announcement. PM is expected to announce its next dividend increase in September 2026; a payout raise of 5% or more would reinforce the cash-return thesis, while a flat or token increase would suggest balance-sheet caution.bullish
Debt reduction progress. Meaningful deleveraging toward $45B or below in total debt would reduce balance-sheet risk and support re-rating; continued debt accumulation above $49B would exacerbate the negative-equity concern.bullish
Multiple contraction signal. PE compressing toward the peer median of 19.9x without a corresponding earnings beat would indicate the market is re-rating the smoke-free growth optionality downward, warranting a shift to sell.bearish

Where this comes from: FMP annual fundamentals FY2025; derived_metrics FY2025 · Reuters and Business Wire news articles, 2026-08-21 · Seeking Alpha article, 2026-08-25 · smart_money points, as of 2026-06-30. Orin's read on PM; not advice.

Twelve months actual closes to 2026-09-23 · actual filings

Sept 25Nov 25Jan 26Mar 26May 26Jul 26

50-day average 200-day average · volume below

Largest holders · 13F Q2 2026

Money flow
FilerPositionOf fund
Capital World Investors$24.1B2.8% of fund
Vanguard Capital Management$18.4B0.4% of fund
Capital Research Global Investors$15.2B2.1% of fund
State Street$10.1B0.3% of fund
Jpmorgan Chase &$8.8B0.5% of fund
Fmr$8.4B0.4% of fund

146 filers · quarter ended Q2 2026 · positions, not flows

Insiders, last 24 months: 49 Form 4 filings, net −$18.9M. Of the 49 on hand, 0 were open-market purchases and 7 sales— the rest are grants, option exercises and tax withholding.

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Where it trades

vs its own 5y · Consumer Defensive
MetricNowOwn medianSector
P/E27.4×18.7×38.3×
EV/EBITDA18.7×14.5×
P/S6.99×4.94×

Its P/E sits above all 5 of the last 5 years (+1.93σ from its own mean).

What the price assumes

12.2%

free-cash-flow growth every year for 10 years, discounted at 10%, is what today’s price implies — starting from $10.7B of trailing free cash flow. It is an assumption the market is making, not a forecast Orin is making.

What Wall Street published

25 firms · 2026-09-23
Consensus target

$212

$192$225 · +11% against today's price

How they rate it
  • 17 buy or overweight
  • 7 hold
  • 1 underweight or sell

The analysts’ consensus and their own ratings, not Orin’s. A target is a twelve-month opinion published by the firm that wrote it.

Against the companies it is compared to

median P/E 19.4× of 4 peers
CompanyMarket capP/EEV/EBITDAGrossNetROE
PMPhilip Morris International Inc.$297B27.4×18.7×67.5%25.6%-112%
KOThe Coca-Cola Company$379B26.5×20.7×61.9%28.6%43%
MOAltria Group, Inc.$115B14.5×11.7×71.0%36.5%-265%
PEPPepsiCo, Inc.$178B17.0×11.8×54.0%10.8%50%
PGThe Procter & Gamble Company$351B21.8×17.7×50.2%18.4%30%

The median is of the 4 peers listed above and nothing else — check it against the column. This company trades 41.0% above it. The peer set is the vendor’s, so a company can appear here that a person would not have chosen.

What it has traded at

P/E by fiscal year
FY14 17.1×FY25 22.1×

What its sector has traded at

Consumer Defensive
FY14 22.9×FY26 39.1×

Two scales, drawn separately on purpose: a sector median and one company’s multiple are not the same number and putting them on one axis invites a comparison neither series supports.

Discounted cash flow

not recomputed since
ModelFair valueAgainstComputed
Standard DCF$200$181.98 · +10%2026-06-10
Levered DCF$225$181.98 · +24%2026-06-10

The vendor’s intrinsic-value models. Treat them as a low-growth anchor — for a fast grower the market routinely pays well above a DCF. These were computed against the price in the “against” column, not today’s.

Every estimate on one scale

price $190.84
52-week range$142 – $208
Analyst targets$192 – $225
Standard DCF$200 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $181.98
Levered DCF$225 as of 2026-06-10, when it was $181.98
At own 5y-median P/E (19×)$130
At 5y P/E range (16–27×)$113 – $185
At sector P/E (38×)$266

The vertical rule is the current price. Ranges and point estimates are the backend’s, published as they were calculated; an arrow means the estimate sits beyond this scale, and its number is on the right.