Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 123,139 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,696 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $14,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 55.5% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on PM. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.35.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM opened at $144.40 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $146.78. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.87. The stock has a market cap of $224.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 9.24% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. On average, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

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.