Garde Capital Inc. Raises Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Garde Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 79.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,741 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,540 shares during the quarter. Garde Capital Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $691,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilkins Miller Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $238,000. Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at about $453,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 20,643 shares of the company's stock worth $2,484,000 after buying an additional 1,189 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price objective (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International 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. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.20.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:PM traded down $0.46 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $178.77. 3,284,260 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,610,835. The firm has a market cap of $278.26 billion, a PE ratio of 39.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.93 and a fifty-two week high of $179.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.64.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 111.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were 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 owns 26,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company 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.