Souders Financial Advisors Increases Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Souders Financial Advisors boosted its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 26.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,873 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,846 shares during the quarter. Souders Financial Advisors' holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its position in Philip Morris International by 115.0% in the first quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on PM. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $220.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $186.73.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE:PM traded down $14.90 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $165.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,283,610 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,709,215. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $106.76 and a twelve month high of $186.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.09. The company has a market capitalization of $257.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.12, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.86 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $10.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.33 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.40% and a net margin of 8.43%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.59 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 27th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

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.