Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC Boosts Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 89.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,647 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,451 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 604.8% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 465,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,503,000 after purchasing an additional 399,400 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 60.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 91,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,050,000 after acquiring an additional 34,233 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 14.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,529,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $185,730,000 after purchasing an additional 192,100 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $150.47 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $149.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.20. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $163.08. The company has a market capitalization of $234.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 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, equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on PM shares. Barclays raised 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, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

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.