Morse Asset Management Inc Buys 1,600 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Morse Asset Management Inc lifted its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 94.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,300 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,600 shares during the quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $397,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.33.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PM traded up $4.90 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $168.93. The stock had a trading volume of 4,952,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,601,647. The firm has a market cap of $262.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The company's 50 day moving average price is $159.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.73. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.93 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. Equities 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 126,822 shares of company stock valued at $18,906,185. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.