Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 301,878 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,860 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $36,648,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the third quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the third quarter valued at $58,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $117.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $182.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.82 and a twelve month high of $134.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $126.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.58.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s 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. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on PM shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed 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 target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $130.39.

About Philip Morris International

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.