Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 80 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,628 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 80 shares during the quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $316,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the third quarter valued at about $206,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 38.5% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 46,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 225.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 23,379 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,841,000 after purchasing an additional 16,194 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 567.0% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,672 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,152,000 after purchasing an additional 43,075 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on PM shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine 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 $150.78.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE PM opened at $160.41 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.34. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $89.30 and a 1 year high of $163.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $249.68 billion, a PE ratio of 35.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.