Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $42.30 Million Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 17.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 351,451 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 52,433 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $42,297,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE PM traded up $2.87 on Friday, reaching $180.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,505,072 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,634,442. The firm has a market cap of $281.32 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $165.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.62. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.93 and a 52 week high of $181.29.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.20.

Philip Morris International 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.