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Why Phillip Morris International Stock Fell Today

By Keith Noonan | October 21, 2025, 7:03 PM

Key Points

Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) stock lost ground in Tuesday's trading following the company's latest earnings report. The tobacco giant's share price fell 3.8% in the session and had been down as much as 10% at one point in the session. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 ended the day roughly flatly in line with yesterday's level.

Philip Morris published its third-quarter results before today's daily trading session began. Despite delivering sales and earnings results that beat expectations and a raise for full-year guidance targets, the stock lost ground today.

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Philip Morris stock sinks despite Q3 beats

Philip Morris' sales increased 9.5% year over year in the third quarter, and the performance helped power a substantial earnings beat. The average analyst estimate had called for non-GAAP (adjusted) earnings per share of $2.10 on sales of approximately $10.66 billion in the period. Strong sales for for the company's smokeless products helped power the period's performance beats.

What's next for Philip Morris?

Following stronger-than-anticipated performance in Q3, Philip Morris opted to raise its earnings guidance for the year. The company now expects adjusted diluted earnings per share to be between 13.5% and 15.1% -- up from its previous guidance for growth between 12% and 13.5%. Volume for smoke-free products is expected to be up between 12% and 14% year over year and help support per-share profit growth.

Despite encouraging guidance revisions, Philip Morris stock lost ground today in response to some investors expecting even stronger performance outlooks for earnings and smoke-free product volumes. But even though the stock took a step back today, performance for the company's diversification bets still looks promising overall.

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Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Philip Morris International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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