GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires Shares of 7,998 Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $727,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,121,732 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 0.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,270,435 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,197,730,000 after purchasing an additional 87,946 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.7% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 8,315,843 shares of the company’s stock worth $769,881,000 after purchasing an additional 299,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 0.3% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,806,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $630,108,000 after purchasing an additional 20,092 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total value of $772,447.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 94,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,860,113.27. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total transaction of $772,447.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 94,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,860,113.27. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $882,050.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,250 shares of company stock worth $1,411,128. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Philip Morris International stock traded up $3.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $97.66. 13,103,287 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,646,268. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.23 and a 1 year high of $100.79. The firm has a market cap of $151.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $91.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.06.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $8.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 116.29%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.38 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PM shares. UBS Group cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $105.00 to $86.50 in a 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 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $105.40.

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.