Aspire Capital Advisors LLC Invests $226,000 in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Aspire Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,421 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 115.0% during the 1st quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.0%

PM stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $182.57. The company had a trading volume of 10,713,275 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,631,735. The stock has a market cap of $284.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.64, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.52. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $99.86 and a 52 week high of $186.69. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $173.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.27.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.43% and a negative return on equity of 122.40%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Analysts predict 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 will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $205.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price target (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $176.80.

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.