Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 193,451 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,910 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $23,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GQG Partners LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,866,678,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,558 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at $522,214,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,785,987 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 161.6% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,943,460 shares of the company's stock worth $235,936,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,636 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 139,432,392 shares of the company's stock worth $16,780,688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167,810 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. The trade was a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM traded down $0.74 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $157.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,444,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,017,650. The business's fifty day moving average is $146.57 and its 200 day moving average is $132.43. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51. The firm has a market cap of $245.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

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

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.