Net Worth Advisory Group Boosts Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Net Worth Advisory Group increased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,625 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Net Worth Advisory Group’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 16.9% during the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 40,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,902,000 after purchasing an additional 5,846 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in Philip Morris International by 0.8% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 16,002 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,943,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 34.8% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 8,121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the third quarter valued at approximately $692,000. Finally, Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. raised its position in Philip Morris International by 23.8% during the third quarter. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. now owns 2,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $150.14 on Tuesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51. The stock has a market cap of $233.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50 day moving average is $136.66 and its 200 day moving average is $129.35.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.60%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PM shares. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at $81,495,308.62. This trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.