Cooper Financial Group Buys 1,008 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Cooper Financial Group grew its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 14.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,042 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $968,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. 49 Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the third quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,452 shares of the company’s stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,158 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $819,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. now owns 8,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at $12,402,431.64. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. The trade was a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $130.39.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM stock opened at $117.47 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.95. The company has a market capitalization of $182.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. Philip Morris International’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 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 Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.60%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

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.