Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Acquired by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. grew its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 191,861 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 317 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $23,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM opened at $155.49 on Tuesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $159.51. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $139.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $130.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

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.