Symmetry Investments LP Acquires New Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Symmetry Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 16,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,966,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $163.95 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $255.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.84 and a 12 month high of $171.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. Analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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 upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 26th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $150.78.

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.