101,367 Shares in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Acquired by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 101,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,200,000. Philip Morris International makes up about 0.9% of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM stock traded down $1.27 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $170.09. 4,881,431 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,562,563. The stock has a market cap of $264.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.71, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.88 and a fifty-two week high of $172.03. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $156.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $138.96.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on PM shares. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup boosted their price target on 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 raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price target (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.00.

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.