Kovack Advisors Inc. Purchases 1,061 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Kovack Advisors Inc. grew its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,074 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 55.5% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE PM opened at $153.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $239.37 billion, a PE ratio of 34.14, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $158.39. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $132.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.47.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group raised their price target 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 boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 106,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 in the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company 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.