IFP Advisors Inc Grows Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,955 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,506 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 40.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,168,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,649,000 after purchasing an additional 6,721,094 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 57.2% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,241,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,121,932,000 after buying an additional 3,363,454 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 161.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,943,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,936,000 after buying an additional 1,200,636 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 14,611.4% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,173,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $142,467,000 after buying an additional 1,165,554 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 44.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,170,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,432,000 after buying an additional 969,198 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM opened at $156.13 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.81. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $156.63. The stock has a market cap of $242.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 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 research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This trade represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on PM. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Finally, 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 on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

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.