WCM Investment Management LLC Invests $3.59 Million in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

WCM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 29,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,586,000.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.35.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM stock opened at $144.40 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $146.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $224.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $125.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.97.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Philip Morris International Company 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.