MYDA Advisors LLC Buys 26,000 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

MYDA Advisors LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 44.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 26,000 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International accounts for about 2.5% of MYDA Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. MYDA Advisors LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $10,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GQG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock worth $5,866,678,000 after buying an additional 6,092,558 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $522,214,000. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 122,584,210 shares of the company's stock worth $14,752,926,000 after purchasing an additional 4,216,586 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,241,837,000 after purchasing an additional 3,185,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 16,070,482 shares of the company's stock worth $1,934,083,000 after buying an additional 2,785,987 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PM traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $170.36. 4,807,166 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,554,892. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $155.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.22. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.42 and a 52 week high of $171.63.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 111.34%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price target (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $163.00.

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.