Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Purchased by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 94.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 118,663 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 57,794 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $14,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company's stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Balboa Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company's stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 10,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $150.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE:PM traded up $3.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $168.07. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,084,289 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,577,438. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.42 and a 52-week high of $173.58. The business's 50-day moving average is $154.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $136.86. The company has a market capitalization of $261.60 billion, a PE ratio of 37.27, 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 data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

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.