Why Philip Morris Is Taking Some Heat for Earnings

Companies and Brands

Published: October 17, 2019 9:55 am

Last Updated: January 30, 2020 2:28 pm

When Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE: PM) reported its most recent quarterly results before the markets opened on Thursday, the company said that it had $1.43 in earnings per share (EPS) and $7.64 billion in revenue. The consensus estimates had called for $1.36 in EPS and revenue of $7.67 billion. The third quarter of last year reportedly had EPS of $1.44 and $7.5 billion in revenue.

During the latest quarter, cigarette and heated tobacco unit shipment volume slipped 2.1% (down by 1.4% on a like-for-like basis), reflecting cigarette shipment volume down by 5.9% and heated tobacco unit shipment volume up by 84.8%.

Looking ahead to the 2019 full year, the company expects to see EPS of $5.14, or $5.38 excluding currency. Consensus estimates call for $5.21 in EPS and $29.95 billion in revenue for the year.

While Philip Morris expects its net revenue and adjusted operating income growth in the fourth quarter to be in line with its year-to-date results, the currency-neutral adjusted EPS growth is anticipated to be lower than the year-to-date performance.

CEO André Calantzopoulos commented:

The exciting global growth of our heated tobacco products drove our resilient total shipment performance, despite certain timing issues related to our combustible portfolio. The quality of our execution across the business drove growth against each of the key metrics of net revenues, operating income, margin, as well as earnings per share — both in the quarter and year-to-date — on a currency-neutral, adjusted like-for-like basis.

Shares of Philip Morris traded down about 1% at $78.25 on Thursday, in a 52-week range of $64.67 to $92.74.