CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp Acquires 2,920 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 90,483 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,920 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $10,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockingstone Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockingstone Advisors LLC now owns 24,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,934,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $2,843,000. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $384,000. Acropolis Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 77.7% during the 4th quarter. Acropolis Investment Management LLC now owns 2,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after buying an additional 1,142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $118.45 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $125.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.07. The company has a market cap of $184.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $134.15.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on PM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at $12,402,431.64. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.