Kelman Lazarov Inc. Buys New Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Kelman Lazarov Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,817 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. GQG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock worth $5,866,678,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,558 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $522,214,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,241,837,000 after buying an additional 3,185,258 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 16,070,482 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,934,083,000 after buying an additional 2,785,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,249,131 shares of the company's stock worth $1,714,883,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248,561 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $145.44.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE:PM traded up $2.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $153.85. 6,458,822 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,569,399. The firm's 50-day moving average is $152.03 and its 200-day moving average is $134.63. The stock has a market cap of $239.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $163.08.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 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 7.89%. As a group, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

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.