PKS Advisory Services LLC Acquires Shares of 2,849 Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

PKS Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $343,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during 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 Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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. 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. Barclays increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE:PM opened at $152.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $131.59. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $159.51. The firm has a market cap of $236.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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 predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety 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.