Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Acquires 242,350 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 20.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,415,881 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 242,350 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International makes up 0.7% of Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.09% of Philip Morris International worth $170,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Concord Wealth Partners raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM stock opened at $156.13 on Tuesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $156.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $242.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $130.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.81.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their price target on 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, StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.22.

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.