Empowered Funds LLC Grows Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 123,139 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,696 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $14,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PM. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 40.9% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,168,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,812,649,000 after acquiring an additional 6,721,094 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 57.2% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,241,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,121,932,000 after acquiring an additional 3,363,454 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 161.6% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,943,460 shares of the company's stock valued at $235,936,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200,636 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 14,611.4% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,173,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $142,467,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 13,666.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 999,729 shares of the company's stock valued at $121,367,000 after acquiring an additional 992,467 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:PM traded down $0.92 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $144.40. 7,207,465 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,552,923. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $146.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $125.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.97.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 9.24%. Analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.74%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of 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. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.35.

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.