44,803 Shares in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Purchased by Bcwm LLC

Bcwm LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 44,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,392,000. Philip Morris International comprises approximately 1.9% of Bcwm LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in 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. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 106,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This trade represents a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $155.17 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $145.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $132.14. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $159.51. The firm has a market cap of $241.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its 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 negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. Equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. 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.