Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Has $56.82 Million Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 472,107 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,645 shares during the quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $56,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company's stock worth $12,134,000 after buying an additional 16,035 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 50.9% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 53,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,485,000 after buying an additional 18,183 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 337,119 shares of the company's stock worth $40,572,000 after purchasing an additional 20,390 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,843,000. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 56,737 shares of the company's stock worth $6,828,000 after purchasing an additional 10,703 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:PM traded down $2.39 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $169.61. 4,733,416 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,565,802. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.93 and a twelve month high of $176.49. The company has a market capitalization of $264.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The company's 50 day moving average is $158.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.05.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is presently 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. This represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group upgraded Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $166.33.

Philip Morris International Profile

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.