Apollon Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 26.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 52,924 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,031 shares during the quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $6,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PM. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 504.9% during the 4th quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after purchasing an additional 19,127 shares during the period. Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,125,000 after acquiring an additional 201,294 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,134,000 after buying an additional 16,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays decreased 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 research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.35.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $144.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $146.78. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $125.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.61.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.74%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio 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.