ACT Advisors LLC. Grows Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

ACT Advisors LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,939 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. ACT Advisors LLC.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $233,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the third 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 last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 504.9% during the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,758,000 after acquiring an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% during the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,125,000 after acquiring an additional 201,294 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after acquiring an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth about $692,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded down $0.82 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $116.33. The company had a trading volume of 1,169,405 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,800,961. The company has a market cap of $180.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average is $126.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.84. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.82 and a twelve month high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. Philip Morris International’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on PM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.39.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares in the company, valued at $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.