Bellecapital International Ltd. Has $493,000 Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Bellecapital International Ltd. increased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 141.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,100 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares during the quarter. Bellecapital International Ltd.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PM. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% in the third quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,457,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 504.9% during the 4th quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,758,000 after purchasing an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company's stock worth $25,125,000 after purchasing an additional 201,294 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company's stock worth $12,134,000 after purchasing an additional 16,035 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded down $0.73 on Wednesday, reaching $153.22. 4,238,511 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,169,419. The firm's 50 day moving average is $134.82 and its 200-day moving average is $128.60. The firm has a market cap of $238.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total transaction of $4,465,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,705,779.25. This trade represents a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on PM. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group increased 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 equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $144.56.

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.