Ruffer LLP Grows Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Ruffer LLP lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 335,162 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,363 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 1.5% of Ruffer LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Ruffer LLP's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $40,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PM. 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. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 2,510 shares of the company's stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,959 shares of the company's stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,479 shares of the company's stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Detalus Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the company's stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Remove Ads

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded down $0.87 on Wednesday, reaching $151.23. The company had a trading volume of 5,179,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,205,821. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $137.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.73. The firm has a market cap of $235.14 billion, a PE ratio of 33.53, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on PM. 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. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.56.

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.