Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Purchases 6,097 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 30.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,928 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,097 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 24.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 197,922 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,055,000 after buying an additional 2,674 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 150,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,236,000 after buying an additional 8,526 shares during the last quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1,169.7% in the second quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 11,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 10,586 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 7.4% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 10,655,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,079,767,000 after acquiring an additional 736,961 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $119.78 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $186.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $125.67 and its 200 day moving average is $121.05. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $134.15.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.35.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $124,624,965.85. This represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.