Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Holdings Raised by Capital World Investors

Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 122,584,210 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,216,586 shares during the period. Philip Morris International makes up about 2.2% of Capital World Investors' holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Capital World Investors owned 7.88% of Philip Morris International worth $14,752,926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the third quarter valued at approximately $206,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 46,037 shares of the company's stock worth $5,589,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 225.4% in 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 buying an additional 16,194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 567.0% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,672 shares of the company's stock worth $6,152,000 after acquiring an additional 43,075 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock traded up $1.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $170.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,624,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,454,106. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.42 and a 12-month high of $171.63. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $154.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.86. The company has a market capitalization of $264.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.71, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 106,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This trade represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PM. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of 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 downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 target price (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $157.44.

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.