Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $41.14 Million Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 13.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 341,834 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 40,495 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $41,139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 337,119 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,572,000 after acquiring an additional 20,390 shares during the period. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 39.0% in the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,915 shares of the company's stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 2,514 shares of the company's stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. City State Bank grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 2,276 shares of the company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 26,572 shares of the company's stock worth $3,198,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares in the company, 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 quarter, insiders have sold 126,822 shares of company stock worth $18,906,185. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM traded up $1.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $170.38. The stock had a trading volume of 3,802,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,609,891. The company has a market capitalization of $265.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The company's 50-day moving average price is $160.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.33. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.93 and a 12 month high of $176.49.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. As a group, equities 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 111.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PM. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $166.33.

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.