Laurion Capital Management LP Buys 38,107 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Laurion Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 67.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 95,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 38,107 shares during the period. Laurion Capital Management LP's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $11,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PM. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Philip Morris International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 139,432,392 shares of the company's stock worth $16,780,688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167,810 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its position in Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 122,584,210 shares of the company's stock worth $14,752,926,000 after purchasing an additional 4,216,586 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock worth $5,866,678,000 after purchasing an additional 6,092,558 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,241,837,000 after acquiring an additional 3,185,258 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,276,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,079,262,000 after acquiring an additional 516,617 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price target (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $166.33.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.2%

PM traded up $0.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $164.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,952,980 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,604,222. The stock's 50-day moving average is $159.35 and its 200-day moving average is $141.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.41, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $98.93 and a 1 year high of $176.49.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The business's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given 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 yield of 3.29%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.34%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,495,308.62. The trade was a 6.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 126,822 shares of company stock worth $18,906,185 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.