Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Stock Position Raised by GoalVest Advisory LLC

GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,807 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,191,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% in the 3rd quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,457,000 after acquiring an additional 4,999 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,125,000 after purchasing an additional 201,294 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 25.4% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after buying an additional 6,974 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth approximately $692,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 31,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,203,000 after buying an additional 4,793 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $128.59 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $134.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $124.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.57.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. This is an increase from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $124,624,965.85. The trade was a 9.60 % 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.

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.