Sapient Capital LLC Acquires 16,334 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Sapient Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 146,272 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,334 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $17,801,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 55.5% in the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $134.35.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE PM traded up $1.60 on Tuesday, reaching $148.17. The company had a trading volume of 4,989,453 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,533,068. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $148.53. The stock's 50 day moving average is $125.98 and its 200-day moving average is $124.29. The stock has a market cap of $230.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.85, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 9.24%. As a group, analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.73%.

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.