Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Bought by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 18.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,050 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $5,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PM. Capital & Planning LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital & Planning LLC now owns 2,613 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,777 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,177,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,027,000 after acquiring an additional 2,023 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,464,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 22.1% during the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 13,625 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,640,000 after acquiring an additional 2,465 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on PM. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price target (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.20.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded down $0.46 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $178.77. 3,284,260 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,610,835. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.64. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.93 and a 52-week high of $179.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.64, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued 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 3.02%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the sale, the insider now 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Company 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.