TrueMark Investments LLC Boosts Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

TrueMark Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 50,263 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,278 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International comprises 1.9% of TrueMark Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. TrueMark Investments LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $6,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $152.37 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51. The company has a fifty day moving average of $143.74 and a 200-day moving average of $131.59. The company has a market capitalization of $236.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on PM. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.