LSV Asset Management Raises Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,800 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the third quarter valued at approximately $206,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 38.5% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 561 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 3.5% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 46,037 shares of the company's stock worth $5,589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 225.4% during the third quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 23,379 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,841,000 after purchasing an additional 16,194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 567.0% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,672 shares of the company's stock worth $6,152,000 after buying an additional 43,075 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock traded up $2.60 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $163.08. 7,543,615 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,589,633. The company has a market cap of $253.83 billion, a PE ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $153.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.62. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $90.65 and a 12 month high of $165.00.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value 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 trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.78.

About Philip Morris International

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.