Cooke & Bieler LP Has $165.74 Million Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,377,121 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 37,292 shares during the period. Philip Morris International makes up approximately 1.6% of Cooke & Bieler LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Cooke & Bieler LP’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $165,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 11,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,418,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $257,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 88,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,663,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 22.6% in the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 15,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,877,000 after acquiring an additional 2,870 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 7,245 shares of the company’s stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $150.14 on Tuesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $136.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.35. The firm has a market cap of $233.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.29, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

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.