O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Grows Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 30.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 289,920 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 66,906 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $34,892,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company's stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company's stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centurion Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Centurion Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the company's stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.4 %

PM traded down $0.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $158.08. The company had a trading volume of 4,428,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,474,562. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $159.87. The company has a market cap of $245.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $146.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.43.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of Philip Morris International 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. The trade was a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company's stock, 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 have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. Corporate 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.