SGL Investment Advisors Inc. Acquires New Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

SGL Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $168,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $168.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $262.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.93 and a 12-month high of $176.49. The business’s 50 day moving average is $159.99 and its 200-day moving average is $141.99.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $182.00 price objective (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total transaction of $4,465,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,705,779.25. This represents a 17.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 126,822 shares of company stock worth $18,906,185 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.