O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 30.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 289,920 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 66,906 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $34,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM stock opened at $155.17 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $159.51. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $145.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $241.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released 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 net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. On average, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on PM shares. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays upped their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.