Wills Financial Group LLC Buys Shares of 3,663 Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC acquired 3,663 shares of Philip Morris International Inc., valued at approximately $581,000, in the first quarter.
• The company reported earnings of $1.91 per share for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.86, with a revenue of $10.14 billion.
• Philip Morris recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.35 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $5.40 and a dividend yield of 3.3%.

Wills Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,663 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $581,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sfmg LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 8.9% in the first quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 5,733 shares of the company's stock valued at $910,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 35.6% in the first quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 4,149 shares of the company's stock valued at $659,000 after acquiring an additional 1,090 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 40.1% in the first quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 454,738 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,181,000 after acquiring an additional 130,054 shares in the last quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at approximately $803,000. Finally, SGL Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 38.4% in the first quarter. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $162.96 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $177.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $162.20. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $113.15 and a 1 year high of $186.69. The stock has a market cap of $253.66 billion, a PE ratio of 30.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.49.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.05. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 120.86%. The firm had revenue of $10.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.59 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 27th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 102.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $170.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $220.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $186.27.

Philip Morris International Company 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.

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