Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC Takes Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the third 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 last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on PM. UBS Group lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.7 %

PM traded up $2.08 during trading on Monday, reaching $121.88. 5,165,969 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,837,312. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $134.15. The company's 50-day moving average is $125.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.47. The company has a market cap of $189.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. Philip Morris International's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. 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 payout ratio is 85.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 959,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. The trade was a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

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.