Fisher Asset Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 34.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,802 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,829 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 203.8% during 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 during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 55.5% in the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $153.22 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.23 billion, a PE ratio of 33.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $134.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.60. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

PM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.13% 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.

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