Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Acquired by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 222,094 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 25,859 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $26,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GQG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 6,092,558 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $522,214,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 372.2% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 5,453,285 shares of the company's stock worth $656,303,000 after buying an additional 4,298,530 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 4,216,586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock worth $4,241,837,000 after buying an additional 3,185,258 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM traded up $0.93 on Tuesday, reaching $174.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,786,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,596,760. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.93 and a 52-week high of $176.49. The company has a market cap of $270.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.60, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.70.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 111.34%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 126,822 shares of company stock worth $18,906,185. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on PM shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.