Ritholtz Wealth Management Acquires 18,183 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 50.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,884 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,183 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $6,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company's stock worth $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 504.9% in the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,758,000 after buying an additional 19,127 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company's stock worth $25,125,000 after acquiring an additional 201,294 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company's stock worth $12,134,000 after acquiring an additional 16,035 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,912,000 after acquiring an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value 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. The trade was 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.7 %

Philip Morris International stock traded up $2.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $121.88. The stock had a trading volume of 5,165,969 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,874,396. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $125.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.05. The company has a market capitalization of $189.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.35, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $134.15.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

Philip Morris International 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.