Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Stake Raised by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 34.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,454 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,958 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Waddell & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Stonebrook Private Inc. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. now owns 2,727 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Nwam LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 4,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,848,000. Finally, Icon Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 395.8% in the 3rd quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 65,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,991,000 after purchasing an additional 52,547 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.9 %

PM opened at $129.99 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $124.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.85. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The company’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.15%. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on PM. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Bank of America upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.50.

About Philip Morris International

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.