Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $453,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE PM traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $178.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,284,260 shares, 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 cap of $278.26 billion, a PE 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.20.

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.