Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Bought by Westend Capital Management LLC

Westend Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,369 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Westend Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International 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 nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.35.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 sale 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 on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $121.88 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $125.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.05.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.