Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 3,185,258 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,286,582 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,185,258 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.27% of Philip Morris International worth $4,241,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on PM shares. Barclays upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM stock opened at $158.85 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.43. The company has a market cap of $246.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $159.87.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. Equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

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.