Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 24.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,071 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,185 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PM. Community Trust & Investment Co. increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. now owns 30,152 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,629,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 99.4% during the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 22,254 shares of the company's stock worth $2,678,000 after acquiring an additional 11,093 shares during the period. R.H. Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $5,355,000. Pines Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $493,000. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,718,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 959,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $124,624,965.85. This represents a 9.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of PM stock traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $118.45. The stock had a trading volume of 5,372,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,459,081. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $125.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.07. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. Philip Morris International's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PM shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $130.39.

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.