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Philip Morris continues to expand in the markets of tobacco heating systems

Philip Morris, stock, Philip Morris continues to expand in the markets of tobacco heating systems

The largest manufacturer of tobacco products, Philip Morris International Inc. (PM), has released a report for the second quarter of 2021. The company's revenue showed an increase of 14% y/y, to $7.59 billion, slightly short of the general market forecast. Due to cost optimization, operating profit increased by 14.6% y/y, to $3.13 billion, exceeding investors' expectations. EPS was slightly below the average estimates and amounted to $1.39, showing an increase of 11.2% y/y.

The volume of supplies of tobacco products and tobacco heating systems increased by 6.1% y/y, showing a stronger increase compared to 2019-2020. In particular, for the first time in a long time, the supply of traditional tobacco products increased by 3.2% y/y, to 156.1 billion units, and the Middle East and Africa became the main regions for growth (+11.6%). However, it is worth taking into account the low base of the second quarter of 2020, during which the introduction of quarantine restrictions began.

The direction of alternative smoking devices and tobacco heating systems increased by 30.2% y/y, to 24.4 billion units, primarily due to the expansion of the largest markets of presence - the EU and Eastern Europe (+64% and +33%, respectively). The number of IQOS users amounted to more than 20 million, most of whom stopped smoking traditional cigarettes. The company continues to expand in the markets of tobacco heating systems: its share increased by 1.4% in the quarter and amounted to almost 8% of the total addressable market, providing a further field for growth.

Management has announced a new share repurchase program worth up to $7 billion over three years, which will begin in the third quarter of 2021. In addition, the company's management published a forecast for 2021, in which it raised expectations for key financial indicators. In particular, revenue is projected to increase by 6-7%, as well as an increase in operating profitability by 2%. Adjusted EPS for the full year is expected to increase by 12-14%, to $5.79-5.89. Due to the increasing importance of alternative smokeless devices, the company depends on global semiconductor supply chains. However, management pointed out the limited impact of the current global shortage of these spare parts for consumer devices.

It is worth noting that Philip Morris is actively reducing its debt burden, as well as increasing its adjusted EBITDA margin. At the moment, the ratio of total debt to adjusted EBITDA is 2.09, whereas at the end of 2020 it reached 2.51. A similar dynamics is noted in the ratio net debt/adjusted EBITDA: 1.74 compared to 1.93 at the end of 2020.

We view the Philip Morris report positively, noting strong results for the second quarter and an increase in management forecasts for 2021. Over the past six months, PM shares have generally traded better than many securities of "value" companies, adding 18%. However, we believe that the potential impact of positive factors has already been taken into account in the quotes. As a result, our target price for PM shares is $92.

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