Westmount Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Westmount Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,866 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the quarter. Westmount Partners LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 4,999 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 201,294 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth about $692,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:PM traded up $0.13 on Monday, reaching $117.28. 2,297,133 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,971,656. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $134.15. The company has a 50-day moving average of $126.34 and a 200-day moving average of $120.84. The firm has a market cap of $182.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.60%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PM shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.39.

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.