Windward Capital Management Co. CA Buys 2,524 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Windward Capital Management Co. CA grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 33,339 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,524 shares during the period. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $4,047,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PM. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,136,000. Equitable Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 14,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,721,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.3% in the third quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the period. Beckerman Institutional LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the third quarter worth $462,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.3% in the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 117,784 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,299,000 after buying an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. StockNews.com raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $126.24 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a fifty day moving average of $124.21 and a 200-day moving average of $112.41. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $134.15.

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

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

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.