25,273 Shares in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Purchased by Sciencast Management LP

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 25,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,042,000. Philip Morris International comprises about 0.8% of Sciencast Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. Atlas Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $442,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Gutierrez Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $263,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 71,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,580,000 after acquiring an additional 1,816 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,495,308.62. This trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $151.25 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $159.51. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $142.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.16 billion, a PE ratio of 33.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 3.57%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on PM shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

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.