Strategic Blueprint LLC Increases Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,477 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PM. Morgan Stanley raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 43,512,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,403,883,000 after buying an additional 411,358 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 12.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 27,821,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,575,742,000 after buying an additional 3,121,732 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 33.5% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,147,790 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,587,542,000 after buying an additional 4,304,089 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.7% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 16,050,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,332,355,000 after buying an additional 260,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 100,700.1% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,640,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,582,939,000 after buying an additional 15,624,628 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.69, for a total value of $181,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,726 shares in the company, valued at $882,050.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.46, for a total transaction of $457,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,412,880.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.69, for a total transaction of $181,380.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,726 shares in the company, valued at $882,050.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,250 shares of company stock worth $1,411,128. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.5 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $89.72 on Thursday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.23 and a 52-week high of $101.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $91.35 and a 200-day moving average of $92.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.61.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.08). Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 116.29% and a net margin of 8.53%. The business had revenue of $9.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. Philip Morris International’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.80%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $86.50 in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Societe Generale raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $87.50 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $105.40.

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.