Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) is Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's 10th Largest Position

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 372.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,453,285 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,298,530 shares during the period. Philip Morris International makes up 2.2% of Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned 0.35% of Philip Morris International worth $656,303,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group upgraded Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price target (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.00.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM traded down $1.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $169.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,151,069 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,561,723. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.42 and a 12-month high of $171.73. The stock has a market cap of $263.31 billion, a PE ratio of 37.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The company's 50 day moving average is $155.51 and its 200 day moving average is $137.82.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.34%.

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.