Searle & CO. Raises Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Searle & CO. grew its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 10.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,194 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,600 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International comprises approximately 1.5% of Searle & CO.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Searle & CO.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $4,718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 59.0% during the 1st quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 4,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 1,563 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 8,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $790,000 after acquiring an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 8.9% during the first quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 5,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 19.9% during the first quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 5,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 921 shares during the period. 79.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:PM traded up $0.70 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $95.15. The stock had a trading volume of 1,218,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,182,484. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.08. The company has a market capitalization of $147.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.71. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.85 and a twelve month high of $105.62.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The company reported $1.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $8.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.76 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 11.63% and a negative return on equity of 127.84%. The firm’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 26th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.47%. This is a boost from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PM. 22nd Century Group reiterated a “reiterates” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, June 27th. Citigroup raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $109.00 to $117.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 20th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $113.00 to $111.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $110.70.

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.