MML Investors Services LLC Boosts Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 578,895 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,018 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $69,670,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 113.8% during the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $150.78.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.6 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $163.08 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.94 and a 12-month high of $165.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $253.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $153.80 and a 200 day moving average of $136.03.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced 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 net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. On average, analysts predict 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 was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, 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 at the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.