Prediction: It's Time to Buy Philip Morris International Stock on the Pullback

Core Viewpoint - Philip Morris International's stock has experienced a pullback despite strong performance, presenting a potential buying opportunity for investors [1][10]. Group 1: Financial Performance - In Q3, organic revenue rose 5.9% year-over-year to $10.8 billion, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) climbing 17.3% to $2.24 [7]. - Traditional cigarette volumes fell by 3.2% to 157.9 billion units, but the company reported better-than-expected results in Turkey [6]. - Segment organic revenue increased by 1% to $6.4 billion, and gross profits rose 4.8% to $4.3 billion due to price hikes offsetting volume declines [6]. Group 2: Product Performance - Zyn, the company's nicotine pouch brand, saw U.S. shipments increase by 37% in Q3, with retail sales volumes soaring by 39% [3]. - The heated tobacco units (HTUs), including the Iqos system, experienced a 15.5% increase in sales volumes to 40.8 billion units [4]. - The e-vapor product, Veev, saw shipments surge 91% to 900 million units, maintaining the No.1 market share in eight countries [4]. Group 3: Guidance and Strategy - Management maintained its full-year guidance for organic revenue growth at 6% to 8% while slightly increasing the adjusted EPS forecast to $7.46 to $7.56 [9]. - The company invested approximately $100 million in promotions to boost Zyn volumes, which accounted for a single-digit percentage of shipments in the quarter [11][12]. - Zyn's promotional activity was previously low due to supply constraints, and the strategy aims to attract users of other nicotine products [12]. Group 4: Valuation - Philip Morris' stock is trading at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of under 18, with a price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of under 0.7, indicating potential undervaluation [14]. - The forward yield is just below 4%, making it an attractive investment opportunity in the defensive growth stock category [14][15].