Aegis Wealth Management LLC Makes New Investment in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Aegis Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,238 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $510,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PM. Capital & Planning LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 2,613 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the company's stock worth $1,027,000 after acquiring an additional 2,023 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 10,641 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,281,000 after purchasing an additional 3,004 shares during the last quarter. Apexium Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 4,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE PM traded up $2.87 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $180.74. 8,505,072 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,634,442. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $164.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.23. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.93 and a 52 week high of $181.29. The stock has a market cap of $281.32 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Philip Morris International's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 111.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on PM. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price objective (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Philip Morris International

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.